The Koopa Klub
by Queen of Pinkie's Cupcakes
Summary: After a mysterious woman kidnaps Luigi at the annual Blue Moon Festival, Mario, Peach and Daisy embark on a perilous journey to save him from the clutches of a vicious new foe. However, not all is as it seems, and in this shadowy world of vampires, werecreatures and, um, jesters, it becomes harder and harder to know who to trust... First fanfic, so don't kill me:P
1. Plots

**My first fanfic hehe. Again, apologies in advance for possible confusion surrounding Princess Raven and Luna, these characters were the result of a challenge by my friend to write a Mario fanfic, while incorporating as many of our friends into it as possible. So yeah, the numerous OC's in this story are inspired by my crazy friends. P.S. I don't own any characters except for Princess Raven and Luna. Nintendo owns all other characters. Enjoy!:)**

Morning sunlight pierced through the gap between the green curtains of Luigi's bedroom window.

"Ugghh," he groaned and turned over, covering his head with his pillow. "It's too early…" he thought. He was beginning to drift back to sleep, when a yell pierced his ears.

"LUIGI WAKE UP! BREAKFAST IS READY!" Mario yelled from downstairs.

"Ra," Luigi sat up, and glared, hair forming a messy halo around his head.

"I'm coming Mother," Luigi yelled back sarcastically, as he got up and changed into his normal green t-shirt and overalls. Downstairs, Mario was dishing out the bacon and eggs, as Luigi padded down the stairs.

"Morning sunshine," Luigi's older twin grinned mischievously, as he heaped a fried Yoshi egg onto Luigi's plate.

"Why the early morning, Mario?" Luigi queried as he tucked in.

"Don't you remember? Today's the Blue Moon Festival. Peach wants us over at her castle to help decorate for tonight. Heh, I'm surprised you forgot. Daisy's coming for this, she's the Sarasaland representative," Mario winked at Luigi, while the green twin began to blush.

"Well..uh..I did not forget… Oh never mind," Luigi gave up trying to explain and finished his breakfast, Mario smirking at him the whole time.

"Well, we'd better head out, don't want Peach to come and hunt you down." It was Luigi's turn to smirk as Mario's smile was erased from his face.

"Fine then little bro, let's head out," Mario exited out the front door, followed by Luigi. The two strolled along Shroomy Lane, the main road to Peach's Castle, when Luigi noticed a bird perched in the trees above them. On closer inspection, Luigi realised it was a raven, much larger than any he'd seen before. It ruffled its shiny black feathers as it stared down at him, and Luigi realised what was so different about this raven. Its eyes were a fierce blood-red and they seemed to stare through him like smoke. Human and bird, their gazes locked, until a voice yelled "LUIGI!" snapping the green plumber out of his trance.

"Wha-" Luigi realized that he had fallen behind, Mario waiting a ways up the path.

"Uh, what happened back there?" Mario asked bemusedly, as Luigi jogged up beside him.

"There was a raven. Didn't you see it, it was huge. And it had these weird red eyes," Luigi trailed off as Mario stared at him, perplexed. "Um, never mind," Luigi stared sheepishly down at the ground.

"Hmm," Mario gazed at Luigi with concern, than smiled. "Come on little bro, let's get going. And thanks for telling me, y'know sometimes Bowser has been known to use ravens as spies."

"Yeah, OK let's get going," Luigi brightened up at this, and he and Mario made their way to Peach's Castle.

* * *

The raven sped through the sky, a black blur against the peaceful blue yonder. Letting out a sudden caw, the bird dived towards a small copse of trees just outside the outskirts of Toad Town.

"LUNA!" the raven screeched, "I FOUND HIM!"

"Huh?" a startled-looking girl looked up suddenly, bumping her head on a low branch. "Aggh, fudge," she growled, rubbing her head and glaring up at the excited raven hopping from branch to branch above her. "Raven, could you please keep it down? Do you want the whole Mushroom Kingdom to come and find us here?" Raven stopped, and stared sheepishly down at the annoyed girl underneath her.

"Heh, sorry Luna. You know me." Raven settled herself on her branch more comfortably, pausing to shake out her ruffled feathers.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Luna shook her head to clear it, then smiled. "Awesome work Raven. Now all we have to do is kidnap the guy, and drag him kicking and screaming to Diddlesmith, without, I repeat, WITHOUT, anything going wrong. Remember, we wanna be inconspicuous," Luna reminded Raven.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Hey, I heard an interesting piece of info that could be useful," Raven remembered. "Apparently, tonight there's some big Blue Moon Festival, and, like, the whole kingdom and some other people are coming."

"Hmmm," Luna's dark brown eyes brightened with interest. _Perfect,_ she thought. "Raven, you know what tonight is, don't you?" Luna asked in a falsely sweet tone. The raven ruffled her feathers and considered Luna thoughtfully.

"The full moon, I'm guessing?"

"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, correct answer!" Luna clapped her hands together and laughed. "Yep, which means that tonight is the night. We spirit away the green guy while everyone's distracted with the festival. And," Luna paused and grinned to herself slyly, "everyone knows that a werewolf is pretty much indestructible on the full moon. So, do we agree? We strike tonight?" Luna glanced up at Raven, who was busy preening her long black flight feathers. "Raven? Raven."

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, we'll go tonight, heh heh," Raven laughed nervously, re-settling herself on her branch.

"Yeah, so I was thinking, tonight, you waltz up to the castle, all pretty and seductive like the fierce vampire princess you are, and go and seduce, flirt, chat up, whatever, I don't care, just lure Luigi away from everyone and your beautiful loyal wolf friend will come flying outta nowhere and we get him outta there before anyone notices," Luna smiled. "Sound like a sweet plan?" The raven stared down at Luna, a look of utter shock on her feathered face.

"Luna? I can't do all that!" Raven squawked indignantly.

"What? Sure you can. You're a vampire. All vampires know how to seduce. Dear Grambi, Raven, isn't that the main way vampires catch their prey?" Luna stared up at Raven, perplexed.

"Well, yeah, but it's Luigi. You know, he has, like, something going on with Princess Daisy from Sarasaland. What if she, like, kicks my ass for falsely shacking up with Luigi," Raven chirped sadly, feathers drooping.

"Hmm, true that," Luna thought deeply. "Hey, what if we trick them?"

"How?" Raven growled, starting to get tired of Luna's crazy plans.

"Mario and Luigi rescue princesses, like, every week right?"

"Yeah," Raven said, puzzled. Luna rolled her eyes.

"Raven? I'm not sure you realized, but, YOU'RE A PRINCESS!"

"AAAGGGHHH!" Raven nearly fell off her branch in shock. "Geez Luna, stop yelling. Yeah I'm a princess, so what."

"Well, do you think Mario and Luigi, the great protectors of the Mushroom Kingdom are gonna stand idly by, while a ferocious, snarling wolf pursues a poor, helpless, innocent maiden," Luna batted her eyelashes up at Raven, her voice taking on a dramatic wispy tone. The bird sighed exaggeratedly.

"Fine, we'll do that. Tonight," Raven closed her eyes and slumped on her branch.

"Yay, I love you!" Luna twirled in the clearing below, laughing. "Well, we better get ready. I want you in a dress that will make poor Luigi throw himself at your feet." Luna continued to dance happily in the clearing, oblivious to Raven's crimson glare. With a sigh, the raven slumped even lower. _This is gonna be a long night,_ she thought as she drifted to sleep, Luna's laughter echoing in her ears.


	2. Preparations

**Ta-da! Chapter 2. Again I don't own anything except story and Raven and Luna. Nintendo owns everything else.**

"Mario, could you please pass me that banner," asked a blue Toad, as he wobbled precariously on the top rung of the ladder.

"Yeah, sure Toad, hang on a sec," Mario put down the plates he was carrying and passed the other end of the banner to the Toad.

"Thank you," the Toad said cheerily, as he turned back to the task at hand. Mario smiled, and stepped back to admire the Great Hall. Peach had gone all out this year, with glittering blue ribbons and beautiful silver balloons hung up around the Hall. The east side of the Hall was dominated by a grand, old oak table, with a blue and silver silk tablecloth draped across the surface. The Toads were busy hanging up the main banner, dominated by the image of a glowing blue moon, across the huge double doors that were the main entrance. The ceiling was also elaborately decorated, with a magnificent silver chandelier taking up most of the ceiling space.

_Yes_, thought Mario. _It's perfect_. The Blue Moon Festival was one of the highlights of the Mushroom Kingdom calendar, and every Festival that Peach had organised had been a massive success, attracting people and fellow royals from distant lands. Even the Koopas of Dark Land relaxed around this time, with every person who attended having a memorable and amazing night.

"Oh, Mario, Toads, it's perfect!" Mario turned to see Princess Peach hurrying forward, blue eyes shining with delight. "Thank you Mario," she cried, rushing forward to hug him, while she gazed around, taking in the decorated Hall with satisfied eyes. "You've done a great job. Thank you again for overseeing the decorations," she smiled down gently at Mario, and, as hard as he tried to ignore it, his heart gave a happy little flutter, like a singing bird.

Mario grinned giddily and said, embarrassed, "Well, anything for you, Princess, heh heh." Peach smiled, and pecked him lightly on the cheek.

"You and Luigi can go home and get ready for tonight now if you want. It's near sunset, and you've worked all day. Besides, we're nearly finished up here anyway," Peach smiled sweetly.

"OK, we'll do that. Thank you Princess," Mario tipped his hat to her, and then ran to fetch Luigi.

* * *

"Heh, sun's going down," Luna smirked at the fading orb, as the sky turned orange above her. "Hey Raven, it's nearly time," she turned to the bird dozing in the branch above her.

"Hmm," Raven blinked open heavy eyes, then yawned widely, rubbing her eyes with one wing. She blinked, then stared at the setting sun, the sky above beginning to turn light purple with twilight. "You ready Luna?" Raven glanced at her friend with concern, not surprised when the werewolf smirked, all bravado.

"Heh, you kidding me Raven? I was born ready." Luna turned her gaze back to the horizon, just as the last of the sun's rays disappeared. She continued to stare, unmoving, not even when a soft 'thump' sounded behind her and Raven, now in her true human form, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'll go on ahead," she whispered. Luna turned around to look at her properly, all pale skin, black hair, and beautiful red dress. Raven winked a glittering green eye at her. "Break the ice."

Luna smirked.

"Whatever you say Raven. I'll join you later." The vampire nodded and, with a wispy hint of a breeze, vanished. Luna sighed, then got up and headed deeper into the forest, in order to find a safe place to transform for tonight.

* * *

"Luigi, for the last time, you look fine," Mario said wearily, as he watched his younger brother toss out all manner of clothing out of his wardrobe.

"No, no I don't look fine. I look trashy. A tuxedo without a bow tie looks trashy," growled Luigi, as he pawed through the contents of his wardrobe, searching for his green bow tie.

"Well, you'd better hurry up," said Mario, looking at the clock, "or we're gonna be late."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Luigi took his search to the floor, and was currently getting dust all over his tuxedo. Mario sighed, then paused, his eyes catching sight of something shiny and green peeking out from under the wardrobe.

"Hey, is this it?" Luigi whipped around, then gasped with relief at the sight of the bow tie in Mario's hand.

"Oh, thank you Mario!" Luigi took it and fixed it to his tux, then straightened and dusted himself off. "How do I look?"

Mario glanced at him.

"Beautiful. Nearly as pretty as Peach," Mario smirked, then laughed at Luigi's expression. "Come on, hot hunk, we'd better get moving."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to keep Peach waiting," Luigi smiled innocently, as Mario glared at him.

"Watch it, Weegie," Mario sniped as he shut the door, and made their way to Peach's Castle, towards the distant Blue Moon Festival.

* * *

Luna paced in the clearing. The moon was coming up; she could feel the pull in her blood, the same pull that moved the tides and the oceans. "Hurry up and start," she growled to herself, sitting down on a flat rock at the edge of the clearing. It was the waiting she hated, the same sort of anticipation before an important test started. The sooner, you got it over with, the better. She raised her gaze to the sky, searching for the full moon, but no luck. She snarled, a sound more animal than human, and began pacing again. She continued like this for about 10 minutes, when she felt the first familiar signs, the twinges of pain in her stomach. She smiled to herself, a pained smile, and then doubled over, falling to the ground as the pain suddenly intensified. Fire ripped through her, reforming her bones as her hands sprouted thick, sharp claws. Fur rippled across her body, luxuriously thick and jet black. She raised her head to the sky as vicious fangs tore its way out of her gums, her nose and mouth lengthening into a powerful canine muzzle. She growled deeply, hating it and loving it all at once, as her hands and feet curled into powerful paws and the thick tail ripped out from her lower back. She crouched low, on all four paws, breathing deeply through bared teeth, before raising her muzzle skywards as a howl ripped through her throat. Shaking out her coat, she crouched, panting, as the fierce pain slowly faded. _4__ years,_ she thought wearily_, I've done_ _this 48 times, and still, it gets no easier_. She lay her head down on her paws, eyes closed, catching her breath, before snapping her amber eyes open_. Get over it_ _Luna_, she thought harshly. _G__row some balls and get over it_. She turned her head towards the direction Raven had taken earlier towards the Blue Moon Festival. She breathed deeply, catching the vampire's familiar, sharp scent, before launching into a run, following the same trail Raven had taken that afternoon.


	3. The Party

**Mwahaha Chapter 3 :) Big thank you to sparklespepper for her considerate review:) Keep 'em coming people, they are much appreciated. As usual, Luna and Raven are owned by me, Nintendo owns everything else.**

The castle was glowing with the festival colours of blue and silver, as Raven made her way up the main pathway to the open double doors. Night had fallen, with the full glowing moon hanging in the blue-black sky, surrounded by millions of silver stars. A crowd, consisting mostly of Toads and humans, were walking and gathering around the large oak doors that opened up to the Great Hall, the main area where the festivities were being held. From what she could see, everyone seemed to be having a good time, with music and laughter drifting from the Hall. Gathering up her courage, Raven walked into the Hall, trying to spot Luigi.

"Come on, Luigi," urged Mario as they walked up the pathway to Peach's Castle. "We wanna get in before the good stuff happens."

"Yeah, just wait a sec," Luigi sounded nervous as he followed Mario, partially shielding himself from view. Mario sighed.

"Luigi. No one will be able to see you if you're hiding behind me all night. Heck, you might as well have not come if that's what you're planning to do."

"Is that an option?"

"What is?"

"Going home."

Mario sighed again. "No. Now come on. Geez Luigi, I thought you'd be looking forward to this. It's one of the year's highlights, and besides, I thought you wanted to see Daisy."

"That's the problem," mumbled Luigi, looking down at the ground.

"Huh, what happened?," Mario looked up at Luigi with concern. Luigi sighed wearily.

"We sorta got into a fight a couple weeks back and we haven't spoken to each other much since then," the young plumber confessed, meeting Mario's gaze. "So, that's why I was trying to put tonight out of my mind. I didn't really want to come and see her all angry." Luigi looked down again.

"Aww, come on Luigi, she's still your friend and besides, if I know Daisy, she'd probably have cooled down by now. Just go and talk to her," encouraged Mario, "Or you could go find someone new," Mario winked. Luigi looked up in horror.

"Mario! No!... Fine, I'll talk to her!" Luigi huffed in annoyance and stalked up the rest of the path, Mario grinning mischievously, before following his younger brother.

* * *

Raven lounged against the wall, watching the guests spill into the Hall. Toads, Koopas, humans, and a hundred other species she couldn't identify mingled and laughed, completely relaxed and enjoying the evening. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating, as she tried to identify the chaos of scents in the Hall, trying to find the one she was seeking. _There!_ Her head snapped up, eyes searching for the owner of the scent. There he was, pushing through the crowd, a determined look on his face. He wasn't wearing his usual attire, instead being clothed in a smart black tuxedo with a slightly lopsided green bow tie. His hair also seemed to be freshly brushed, and his signature cap was missing. Another human was tailing him, shorter and chubbier, but with the same blue eyes. _Hmmm, that must be Mario,_ she thought. Raven narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, making up her mind. _Well, here goes nothing_, she decided, as she detached herself from her wall, and prowled over to where Luigi was heading.

* * *

Luna ran through the forest, ears pricked and nose down, concentrating to distinguish Raven's scent trail from the normal forest scents of deer, dirt and living things. She had been running for about ten minutes before startling a herd of deer into bolting. Luna had to restrain herself from chasing after the herd and concentrate on Raven's scent, which was especially hard when her wolf self was screaming at her to attack, kill and eat. She shook her head, growling in annoyance, returning to her search. Ten minutes of hard running brought her to the edge of the woods, bordering Toad Town. Luna stopped at the edge of the trees, peering out at the town. Up ahead, she could see Peach's Castle, decorated in all of its blue and silver glory, with the loud noises of music, chatter and laughter drifting from its doors. She could also see groups of people, Toads, Koopas, and a whole lot of other species walking up to the castle, all in a festive mood. Luna flopped down panting, realizing how tired she was from her run. _Hoo boy, haven't done that in a while, _she thought, amused despite herself, when she heard a voice.

"Is that an option?"

_Huh?_

Luna looked around, locating two humans, one slightly taller and thinner, the other shorter and chubbier. As the taller one turned around to address the shorter one, she had to stop herself from howling out loud with excitement. _That's him! That's Luigi! _Instead, she crouched down among the bushes, watching Luigi, who seemed to be arguing with what looked like a shorter, chubbier version of himself, which she guessed was Mario, Luigi's more famous brother. From what she heard, Luigi had apparently got into a fight with Princess Daisy, which Luna knew was the next in the royal line of Sarasaland. _Ma used to talk about the King of Sarasaland a lot_, Luna thought absently, remembering for a brief moment her mother's voice, her purple room and the sharp salty scent of the ocean…

"Or you could go find someone new."

Luna snapped out of her reverie in time to hear the last of Mario and Luigi's conversation. By now, Luigi had already stomped up the steps of Peach's Castle, with Mario following more slowly, an amused smile on his face. _Hmmm_. Luna sat on her haunches as she considered what she had just learnt. _If Luigi and Daisy are on the outs at the moment, this is the perfect opportunity for Raven to, um, comfort him,_ Luna thought slyly to herself. She laughed, though it came out more of a hoarse bark. _Well, then Raven, I hope you can be your charming, seductive self tonight, cos pretty soon a handsome gentleman needs to step in and save you from a ferocious bloodthirsty werewolf. _ As Luna thought this, she raised her powerful muzzle to the sky and howled a signal to the vampire in the castle.

* * *

Luigi walked into the Hall, eyes open for Daisy, hoping to talk and make up with her. However, she didn't seem to be here yet, as he couldn't spot her among the numerous party-goers. Luigi sighed, disappointed, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, Luigi, do you know who that is?" Mario was looking at someone at the other side of the Hall.

"Huh?" Luigi turned, and stood still in utter shock. Prowling across the Hall, black hair flying, was a girl. Not just an ordinary girl, but one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the reflected shine of the decorations, while her shiny black hair shimmered down her back. Her eyes were a luminous, catlike green, and they seemed to glow strangely, reflecting the hall lights. Her stride was also catlike, a graceful, watchful prowl, while her shimmering red dress only added to her air of fierce grace. Mario and Luigi watched as she stopped by the table and poured herself a drink. Luigi found himself mesmerized by her movements, with even the simple act of drink pouring hypnotizing him. As if on cue, the girl suddenly turned and locked eyes with him. Luigi found he was unable to move. He felt as if he were drowning in an emerald lake, as the girl continued to openly stare at him.

"Luigi? Luigi!"

"Huh? What!" Luigi found himself being shaken urgently by Mario. Luigi looked around, embarrassed, when he realized he was openly staring at the girl, oblivious to any outside influence. His head also felt strangely foggy, as if he had just woken up from a dream he couldn't remember.

"Uh, you and that girl were just staring at each other. You didn't respond when I called your name. Heh, love at first sight do you think?" Mario laughed, his grin becoming even wider as Luigi's cheeks went bright red.

"No, I was just…" Luigi's protest trailed off as Mario continued to smirk at him.  
"Well?" Mario queried.

"Well, what?"

"Go over and talk to her!"

"What! Why would I do that?"

"Look at her Luigi. A girl like that only comes around once in a lifetime. Just go and talk to her, make friends, introduce yourself. Heck, Daisy isn't even here yet, so I don't know why you're worrying. And look at her," Mario nodded to where the girl was standing. She didn't look fierce anymore. She looked a bit awkward and slightly lost, standing next to the giant dining table, a silent loner amidst the masses of cheery folk celebrating. Luigi felt a sudden pang. He knew what it was like, being ignored, feeling awkward while everyone else had a good time. Making up his mind, he turned to Mario, and nodded.

"Okay, I'll go and talk to her." Luigi headed towards the girl, Mario smiling at him, before the red plumber turned to go and locate Peach.


	4. Surprise!

**Behold! The wonders of Chapter 4! :) Yeah, again, I don't own anything except for Raven and Luna. Nintendo owns everything else.**

Raven shook herself, trying to shake off the creeping feelings of guilt. Trying to hypnotize Luigi was harder than she first thought. _He's not the first guy I've tried to_ _hypnotize to make puppy-dog eyes at me_, she thought angrily to herself_. So why am_ _I_ _finding it so hard to go through with it?_ She growled low in her throat, shaking herself angrily. _Come on Raven, he's just another faceless soul, Jaydes knows how many you've-_

"Um, are you ok?" a tentative voice asked. Raven froze, before slowly turning around to stare at Luigi. He looked relaxed, nonchalant, but she could see the slight trembling in his hands and smell the faint hint of fear masked by his bravado.

She forced her features into a timid smile, before answering softly, "Yes." Luigi stood for a minute, seemingly dumbfounded. Raven smiled to herself. A vicious voice, her predatory half, whispered,_ Seduce him, rip out his throat, sweet, sweet blood… _She shook her head hard, banishing the dark thoughts. She couldn't even remember when was the last time she had properly. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to Luigi. He was staring at her, looking edgy, and she quickly realized he had asked her something.

"Um, sorry, what was that last bit?" she asked, embarrassed, as Luigi's cheeks went flame-red.

"Um, what's your name?" Luigi peered up at her timidly.

"Oh, sorry, um… Raven. My name's Raven," she smiled shyly at the young plumber, as he continued to stare at her. The silence stretched out awkwardly, before Raven sighed inwardly, and prompted, "And you are…?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm, uh, Luigi. Yeah, my name's Luigi," Luigi smiled, embarrassed.

"Oh, Luigi, as in, like, Mario and Luigi? _That_ Luigi?" Raven asked. Luigi nodded proudly, and seemed to stand up straighter.

"Yep. That's me, heh heh," he laughed nervously.

"That's, um, great," Raven said slowly, her gaze never leaving his face. Luigi stared back, his eyes looking into hers. The vampire was startled by the depth of warmth and innocence in his gaze, and, without knowing why, she suddenly felt uncomfortable and guilty, as if she were caught looking at something she shouldn't have. She quickly looked away, and Luigi, blushing, dropped his gaze as well. _Crap, I don't know if I can go through with this. Maybe me and Luna should just call it quits and go home, _Raven thought worriedly to herself. _Heck, it was a weird idea in the first place. Why in the Underwhere would King- _A sudden howl interrupted her thoughts. Raven snapped her head up, green eyes searching for Luna.

Luigi, noticing the sudden tension, asked "Is everything alright?"

Raven nodded absently, not really focussing on Luigi or anyone in the Hall. Her main concern was Luna. Shaking off the guilt, Raven turned back hurriedly to Luigi. Luigi, noticing the sudden change in the girl's behaviour, took a nervous step back. Realizing that Luigi, or indeed, anyone else in the Hall, hadn't heard Luna's howl, Raven quickly made up her mind.

"Actually," she began, fixing Luigi with her most pleading gaze, "I was wondering if you'd like to come outside with me. It's getting a bit stuffy in here, and I _would _like to get to know the great Luigi better." She stared up at him shyly through her long eyelashes, knowing that very few men had resisted this look before. Luigi, however, still looked a bit unsure.

"Um, I'm not really sure that's a good idea," he began, before one of the windows exploded with a loud crash.

* * *

Luna crept up the side of the castle, keeping her head low and ears flat. Locating what she guessed to be the Hall windows by the noise and smell, she reared up on her hind legs and peered through a window, resting her front paws on the windowsill to steady herself. _Whoa_. The werewolf was momentarily overwhelmed by the immense crowd, mingling and laughing. Toads, humans, Koopas and a whole lot of other species were shrieking, laughing and smiling, all enjoying the Festival. She smiled evilly to herself. _Well, I'll make sure this is one Festival they'll NEVER forget._ She grinned, tongue lolling out between dagger-sharp teeth, before spotting Raven and Luigi standing near the dining table. They seemed to be making small conversation, until Luigi suddenly turned away. Luna could see him blushing from where she stood, and barked a laugh to herself. _Raven, I didn't ask you to embarrass the poor guy_, she smiled, before realizing that Raven was looking away too and was she _blushing?!_ Luna thought incredulously to herself. She dropped back down to all four paws, shaking her head in confusion, before sitting back on her haunches with a small sigh. _Geez, Raven, I thought you were joking when you said you would be shacking up with Luigi_. She growled, amused, before peering through the window again. Raven seemed to be on edge, while Luigi was still standing awkwardly next to her. Luna knew that look. It was the look girls had when they found the guy they were talking to awkward, boring and really uncomfortable. _Well, looks like it's time for my grand entrance. Don't worry Raven, I'll save you! _Luna grinned to herself before taking a run-up, and leaping towards the window.

* * *

Mario stood watching Luigi and the new girl talking quietly. He sighed inwardly when he noticed Luigi quickly turn away, blushing, while the girl stared down at him, looking perplexed. _Oh, Luigi, you're quite the ladies' man, aren't you?_ Mario shook his head, amused.

"Mario?" A familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Peach!" Mario exclaimed joyfully, turning around to see his beloved princess smiling back at him.

"Oh, you made it!" Peach cried happily as Mario pulled her into an embrace. They stood like that for a while, until Peach pulled out, Mario's hand lingering on hers for a few seconds longer. She smiled gently at him, before looking out at the crowd. "Is Luigi here tonight?" the princess inquired. Mario nodded, pointing out Luigi and the strange girl.

"He's over by the table, trying to charm that lovely girl standing next to him. Emphasis on the _trying_," Mario grinned up at Peach as she giggled, covering her mouth with her gloved hand.

"Oh well, at least that should get Daisy talking to him again, if only for all the wrong reasons," Peach replied cheekily, giggling. Mario shook his head, smirking, before asking,

"Oh, yeah, where is Daisy? I thought she was coming tonight." Peach looked at him suddenly, a faint hint of hesitation crossing her features.

"Um, she's been…sick…lately," Peach replied uncomfortably, looking away.

"Oh." Mario looked concerned. "Um, is she okay?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, she's fine. Just a bit of a fever." Peach smiled, back to her old self. "In fact, I'll tell her that Luigi was talking to a pretty, mysterious girl at tonight's party. After hearing that, I expect that she'll be back to her old self in no time." She laughed, and Mario, shaking off his moment of unease, joined in a moment later.

"Yeah, I betcha Luigi-," Mario was cut off as a window exploded. Whipping around, Mario, Peach and the rest of the party-goers stared in disbelief at the black shape crouching amidst the rubble and shattered glass. Slowly, the shape rose, revealing four long, powerful legs. Amber eyes blinked balefully, regarding the crowd malevolently. Jaws parted to reveal dagger-like teeth, gleaming evilly in the moonlight. Its breath smoked in the darkness as the creature snarled, a sound like distant thunder. Slowly, horrifyingly, Mario realized that the monster was a huge, jet-black wolf. No-one moved, all too frozen in horror at the nightmare creature before them. With a sudden, chilling howl, the wolf leapt into the crowd, fangs bared. The crowd exploded into action. People screamed, running, stampeding, anything to get away from the black whirlwind of snapping jaws and vicious claws. Snapped out of his reverie, Mario whirled around, grabbing Peach, before plunging into the crowd, looking for Luigi. It was impossible. People were running, panicked, screaming, the party thrown into chaos by the arrival of the wolf. For a split second the crowd parted, just enough for Mario to catch sight of a tall, tuxedo-clad man and a smaller, red-clad figure, cowering against the wall. His stomach dropped when he realized that the wolf had cornered them. Mario cried out, rushing towards them, Peach trying in vain to hold him back.

* * *

The wolf growled, head lowered, eyes gleaming hungrily. Luigi had thought that by now he would have fainted. In fact, he thought it was an achievement that he hadn't screamed and ran when the beast broke through the window. Now, staring at the wolf slowly inching closer, he had begun to regret that decision. Raven pressed up against him, trembling, terrified eyes fixed on the wolf. She let out a faint whimper, pressing up harder against Luigi. However hard he tried, he couldn't stop a faint blush creeping into his cheeks at the feel of Raven's slender body pressing up against his. Without knowing what he was doing, he grabbed Raven and pushed her behind him, shielding her with his body, as the wolf crouched even lower, eyes fixed on both of them.

"Come on, fleabus," Luigi snapped, trembling. At this insult, the wolf snarled furiously, amber eyes blazing, and began to bark crazily, ears flattened and hackles bristling. Luigi was trying to stare it down, although he was terrified, when he felt Raven trembling behind him. A high sweet sound filled the air, and it took Luigi a moment to realize that Raven was laughing. The wolf stopped barking all of a sudden, and sat down, head cocked to one side, ears pricked. If he didn't know any better, it looked like it was awaiting orders, like an obedient dog. Luigi stared at it, dumbfounded, when Raven, still standing behind him, coughed quietly. He whirled around to face her, and was even more confused when he saw how calm she was. Something about her had changed. She was gazing at him calmly out of emerald green eyes. Seeing his expression, she smiled, a smile as sharp and dangerous as a dagger.

"Oh, dear, it seems you've insulted poor Luna. Too bad you can't understand her. She was quite creative when describing you," Raven smirked, all traces of her apparent shyness gone.

"Huh? Raven, what are you-," Luigi was cut off as Raven placed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Shhh," she crooned, green eyes gazing down into his with false concern. There was something else there too, something dark and predatory, making her look more like the wolf, than a human. She smiled, a smile that hid something sinister and hungry beneath it. She stepped toward him. Luigi stumbled back out of her grasp, nearly stepping on the wolf's paw. The canine snarled at him, snapping at his leg, leaving Luigi trapped. Raven took another step forward, touching his arm gently. "Luigi, I mean you no harm. I just want to show you something. I think you'll like it," she whispered, pulling him closer. He gasped as she touched his bare hand. Her hand was deathly cold, so much so that he could feel it through her black gloves. Luigi struggled but teh girl had him in an iron grip. She nestled her head in his neck, and with a shock, Luigi realized that she was licking him, like a cat. She looked up at him suddenly and grinned, and the green plumber had to stop himself from screaming out loud. Long, dagger fangs shone, needles of ivory against her scarlet lips. Her eyes, too, had changed, from their beautiful green to a horrible, ghastly red. Her pupils were demonic slits, jet-black in a sea of blood and they gazed hungrily down at him, filled with animal bloodlust. With a final laugh, she lunged at him, fangs plunging into his throat. Luigi's scream cut off, as Raven stroked his hair gently, hypnotically, all while draining him. He could feel it, his strength being sapped, his life-blood being stolen by this nightmarish parasite. His head swam, everything going blurry.

The last thing he heard was the howl of a wolf, and a familiar voice crying out, "Luigi!" before he closed his eyes, everything going black.


	5. What Happened Next

**DUM DUM DUUUUUUUUUUUM Chapter 5 Enjoy:D Again, I own Raven and Luna, Nintendo owns everything else. Also, I just want to thank Weretiger Princess for her continued support and help with this chapter. She is responsible for the creation of Faian, the sexiest weretiger to ever grace my laptop, so therefore, Faian belongs to her:)**

Mario sighed, looking out at the ruined mess that was the Great Hall. After last night's disaster, the guests had all gone home, too shaken to continue the party after the entrance of the wolf and the kidnap of Luigi by the mysterious girl. Peach, in particular, had been quite distraught, and after the guests had gone home, she had dashed upstairs to talk to Daisy. Hoping that Daisy would be able to comfort Peach, Mario had gone back to the Hall, to reflect about the circumstances surrounding Luigi's kidnap. He shook his head, guilt weighing him down. _If only I'd reached him in time, maybe I could have stopped this, _he thought to himself_. _Shaking off his sadness, knowing that Luigi wouldn't want him to be moping, he began to think. Mario had a powerful hunch that this kidnapping was not all it seemed to be. Firstly, there was that woman, the one who was responsible. No one had recognized her, and no one seemed to know where she was from. The police had come by earlier for her description, and so far, according to them, there was no record of her, or anyone like her, in their database. Secondly, the fact that a wolf had appeared and broken in at the same time, and the fact that it went straight for Luigi and the girl, almost as if it knew what it was looking for. That, and the fact that wolves weren't native to the Mushroom Kingdom, and that wolves normally didn't break into parties and terrorise the guests. Mario and Luigi had watched enough of Animal Planet back in Brooklyn to know wolves, contrary to popular belief, didn't randomly go around and attempt to slaughter people. Especially if they were loners, as this wolf seemed to be. Pondering on this for a while, he didn't notice Peach come up behind him.

"Mario?" she called softly, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with a weary smile, eyelids starting to droop. With a gasp, Peach kneeled down next to him. "Mario," she whispered urgently, "you need to get some sleep. NOW." Mario shook his head impatiently.

"Not until I figure out what happened to Luigi," he replied stubbornly, before letting out a huge yawn. Peach sighed, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I promise I'll let you know if we find anything new," she said softly, murmuring into his hair. Mario sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Okay Princess," he agreed. He got up and began to slowly make his way up the stairs. Reaching the top, however, he turned and looked back down at Peach, a solitary figure at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you okay, Princess? You were quite…distraught last night," he queried, concerned. Peach shook her head slowly, a tired smile playing across her lips.

"No, I'm fine. It's just that…this incident with the wolf bothers me in particular. As you probably know, wolves aren't native to these parts, and on top of that, the way it seemed to be working with the girl…," Peach shook her head wearily. "I just feel that it was partly my fault that Luigi was able to get kidnapped so easily," she finished, gazing at him with sorrow in her blue eyes.

"Oh, Peach, don't think that." Mario ran down and pulled her into a fierce hug. She clutched at him, seeking comfort in his touch. She lay her head on his shoulder, drowsiness dragging at her body and mind. "Look, Peach, whatever happened last night, it wasn't your fault. No-one is blaming you for it. Also, I think you need to get some rest too," he smiled up at her, remaining optimistic. She looked at him, before nodding and stretching, letting out a huge yawn.

"Okay, Mario," she said sleepily, her eyelids beginning to close. "Don't worry. We will find Luigi. I'll make sure of that." Mario nodded, trying to stay positive.

"He's stronger than he looks. I betcha he's probably giving those kidnappers a piece of his mind right about now…"

* * *

_Ugghhh…_Luigi shook his head, still groggy with sleep. He closed his eyes again, drowsy, head paining from the restless night he had. He dozed for a bit, before jolting awake. _Oh Grambi._ He remembered, all of it flooding back. The party, the wolf, fangs of ivory, crimson eyes gleaming with hunger. _Raven, she's, she's a…_Luigi trailed off. It was too horrible to think about. As much as he didn't want to believe it, he had no choice. His hand flew to his neck, expecting to feel ragged holes still raw from Raven's bite. There was nothing. Puzzled, he felt around his neck. Still nothing. It was if he had never been bitten. He sighed with relief. _Maybe it was all just a bad dream, _he thought optimistically to himself. _Yes, that's what it was. Vampires_, he smirked to himself, amused that he could have thought his nightmare was true. He sat up, looked around and froze. He was in an unfamiliar room. It looked like a hotel room. He was lying in a small, single bed with plain, white sheets. There was a small bedside table with a single yellow flower, (_a daffodil?_) in a plain white vase, like the bedsheets. The curtains were drawn across the window. They were plain black, unlike the rest of the room. A door, closed shut, lead to the rest of the world. A single picture of a large grey wolf howling in the snow hung on the wall. Luigi looked away, shivering, trying to piece together what had happened. _The wolf had me and Raven cornered,_ he thought hard, _and then it…stopped…attacking? And then Raven grabbed me and she…her…_Luigi trembled violently. _No, no, she couldn't. No, no, NO!_ He cowered, holding his head, rocking, shivering, hugging himself, as the terrifying images assaulted his mind. The black wolf snarling, fangs gleaming in the moonlight. Raven's fangs gleaming ivory, as long and deadly as the wolf's. The shock and painful pinch as she sank her fangs deep in his neck. The struggle as she drained the life out of his body, her voice whispering soothingly as he drifted off… He shook his head, then froze. He could hear voices murmuring outside his door. Panicking, Luigi ducked under his bed, the only hiding place in the room, trembling, as the door swung open.

"Just drop it, Luna. It was an honest mistake." Luigi stiffened at the sound of Raven's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Vampire instinct, his neck was right there, I couldn't help myself, blah, blah, blah, I know." An unfamiliar female voice replied.

"No you don't," Raven sounded offended.

"Yeah, I don't. I'm trying to make you feel better, woman. Diddlesmith's the one giving you crap about it, not me," the voice replied, sounding like she was about to start laughing. "Anyways, I don't blame you. I wouldn't mind sucking on his neck, quite a tasty looking guy ain't he?"

The voice broke out into fits of laughter as Raven shrieked indignantly, "LUNA!" The laughter died away.

"Hey, just chill Raven. Y'know I'm just messing with ya. Anyways, speaking of our green friend, it seems he has mysteriously vanished." The voice sounded amused. Luigi trembled harder, shrinking back underneath the bed as far as physically possible. "Well, I'm always up for a good game of hide-and-seek." Luigi shivered, the cold amusement in the voice sending a cold trickle down his spine. "Raven, go back downstairs and fill you-know-who in."

"Oh no Luna, now is not the time-"

"Now is the perfect time. Get going, you know what to do." With a sigh and a rustle, Luigi watched Raven's heel-clad feet disappear out the door. Turning back, he froze when he realized that the other girl's bare pair of feet had disappeared. Inching out slowly from underneath the bed, he peeked out, terrified, his panic growing more by the second as he realized that the other girl was nowhere to be seen. Trying to calm his trembling nerves, he crawled out slowly. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled a moment before he heard the furious snarl. Whipping around, he nearly fainted at the sight of the black wolf crouching on his bed, amber eyes glaring hungrily at him, hackles bristling furiously. With a high-pitched scream, Luigi tore out the door, the wolf giving an eerie howl, before pursuing him. Finding himself on a second-floor landing, he tore down the stairs, ripping open the other door, before stopping dead at the sight in front of him. A huge white tiger crouched, ice blue eyes watching him, tail dancing back and forth. Luigi backed up, whimpering with pure terror, as the tiger snarled, revealing long, dagger-like canines, as it crouched lower, preparing to pounce. Turning back the way he came, Luigi let out a cry of despair at the sight of the wolf stalking down the stairs, teeth bared, a growl rumbling from its chest. Luigi cowered, dropping to the floor, trembling with fear, as the two predators stalked closer.

They were both nearly upon him when a voice cried out, "STOP!" The two animals paused, looking at the owner of the shout. Luigi looked too, and froze. _Bowser?_ he thought incredulously, staring at the shape looming in the doorway. On first glance, it did look very similar to Bowser, but as the strange beast stepped through the doorway and rose to his full height, Luigi realized that it wasn't him. Instead of flaming red hair, this Koopa had a full spiked black-and-purple Mohawk, similar in style to Iggy's and Lemmy's. His horns were shorter too, not as wickedly curved as the Koopa King's. His shell was quite different as well. It was a bright, striking purple, the same shade as his Mohawk, and it was covered in black, deadly spikes. Luigi trembled as he met the Koopa's gaze. His eyes were exactly the same shade of red as Bowser's, but instead of glittering with hatred, they were looking down at him curiously. Luigi backed up, crablike, as the Koopa stepped closer, gazing down at him. Then, to his shock, he smiled.

"Welcome, little man, to the greatest show on Earth!" The Koopa beamed down at him. Luigi sat, too shocked to do anything else. The Koopa's smile vanished. "Oh right, sorry about that." He raised his head to glare at the tiger and the wolf, still crouching behind Luigi. "Luna, you idiot, what the hell were you thinking? What did poor Luigi ever do to you, huh?" Luigi trembled with shock as the wolf barked back at the Koopa. The Koopa smirked. "Not good enough Luna. Now, if you want to avoid getting turned into a pretty little piñata for next week's Mexican Nite, I suggest you AND Faian GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW." Growling, the wolf slunk away, the tiger following closely. Before stalking out the door, the wolf turned and barked sharply at the Koopa, before dashing out the door. "GO MARK A FIRE HYDRANT, LUNA!" the Koopa roared after the fleeing wolf, before shaking his head with a sigh. The tiger padded after, throwing what appeared to be an apologetic glance at Luigi, before disappearing out the door. "Again, my apologies," the Koopa held out a clawed hand. Luigi, after a moment's hesitation, took it, and the Koopa pulled him gently to his feet. Luigi stood trembling, looking around at the narrow corridor.

"Wh-where am I? Who are you?" Luigi asked, shaking. The Koopa gazed down at him, an apologetic smile appearing on his face.

"Well, my friend, you are in one of the finest entertainment establishments ever to have been established in our fair city. The Koopa Klub." The Koopa winked down at him. "As for who I am. Well, you may call me…King Diddlesmith."


	6. The Morning After

**Chapter 6 ;) Enjoy P.S. Don't kill me for what I'm about to do to Daisy :O P.P.S All OC's(Raven, Luna, Diddlesmith, Amber) belong to me, Nintendo owns everything else.**

Peach smiled down at Mario, watching him as he snored loudly, lying on the couch. With a contented sigh, she slipped quietly out of the living room, making her way up to the guest rooms on the second floor. Pausing outside the second door, she listened intently. Faint snores came from the other side. Opening the door quietly, Peach peered inside. Daisy was asleep, sprawled across the bed, bedsheets twisted around her as if she had a restless night. Peach gazed at her friend with sorrow, taking in the pale pallor of her skin, the faint sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead and the dark circles underneath her eyes. As she watched, Daisy's petite nose twitched. A moment later, her eyelids fluttered open, dark blue irises gazing wearily around her room, before settling on Peach. A tired smile appeared on her face, as she struggled to sit up. Peach rushed over to her.

"Shhh, stop Daisy. Just relax," Peach fluffed up her pillow, pulling the sheets back up. Daisy pushed her away gently, shaking her head, before stretching and letting out a huge yawn.

"No thanks, Peach. I think I've had enough sleep to last me for a month. Besides, you know me. I don't like sleeping and doing nothing for long periods of time." The flower princess smiled up at her friend. Peach, however, continued to look worried. Daisy's brow creased in a frown. "What's wrong? I'm feeling fine if that's what you're worried about." Peach shook her head, deciding to tell Daisy later about Luigi.

"No, it's fine. Um, how was it, if you don't mind my asking." Daisy sat back on the bed with a sigh. Closing her eyes, she stayed silent for a while, before answering,

"It hurt. A lot. And then…I think I blacked out, that's how painful it was. Then, I woke up on the floor, I think it was early this morning?" Daisy glanced at Peach, confusion clouding her gaze. "And then, I realized that the sheets were all shredded, and there were claw marks and paw prints all over the walls." Peach nodded, remembering how she had come to Daisy's room early this morning to find Daisy passed out on the floor, the sheets shredded and the wallpaper torn, as if by the claws of some great beast.

"I found you this morning, out cold on the floor so…I had you moved to a new room." Daisy nodded, weariness clouding her gaze. Peach gazed at her worriedly, before blurting out, "Look, Daisy, are you okay with this? You're not depressed or angry or-" Daisy held up a hand, silencing Peach.

"No, I think I can manage. I just have to be careful around all of you for the next couple of weeks. Mario and Luigi don't know, do they?" Daisy stared at Peach with a sudden intensity lighting her gaze. Peach shook her head.

"No, I didn't tell them. Like I said, I just wanted to be sure." Daisy nodded, sinking back down onto the bed with a sigh. Peach looked down at her sick friend, indecision and truth warring in her head. Making up her mind, she whispered intently, "Listen Daisy, do you remember what the wolf that attacked you looked like?" Daisy snapped her head up.

Fear clouded her gaze momentarily, before she replied, shakily, "N-no. It all happened so fast."

Peach nodded, before standing up. "Well, I should leave you to get more rest. Good night Daisy."

As Peach turned to leave, Daisy whispered, "Why were you asking about the…," Daisy trailed off, blinking. "Wolf?"

Peach gazed back, conflicted, before sighing and saying, "There was an attack last night at the Blue Moon Festival." As Daisy's eyes widened with horror, Peach quickly said, "No, no-one got bit. But…Daisy, I think you should know. Luigi was taken by a strange girl. And it seems that she had a wolf helping her. A big black one." Peach felt sick as she watched Daisy's expression change to one of utter horror and despair. "We're doing all we can to find him. The police are out searching, the scientists are analysing the blood-"

"BLOOD!?" Daisy shrieked, cutting off Peach midsentence. She leapt out of bed, and dashed to the door. She was so fast; she appeared to be a blur to the pink princess.

"No, DAISY!" Peach grabbed Daisy, trying to talk reason to the distraught princess. Whipping around, Daisy glared at Peach, who backed away with horror. The flower princess's eyes had changed colour, from deep, sapphire blue to a ghastly pale yellow, horribly reminiscent of the black wolf's glare. She snarled, revealing lengthening canines, long and wickedly sharp. Peach held her hands up, trying to appear nonthreatening. "Shhh, Daisy, it's me. Peach," she soothed, trying to ignore the panic flaring in her stomach. It seemed to work. Daisy's growl died in her throat, and her irises darkened from yellow to blue. She shook her head, holding a hand up to it, before glancing at Peach, shock in her gaze.

"Oh, Grambi, Peach I'm sorry!" Daisy cried, guilt and despair clear in her eyes. Peach shook her head.

"Don't apologize Daisy, it isn't your fault. None of this is." Peach gazed back with a smile to show her it was okay, before saying, "Look, Daisy, I think you should-"

"Oh no," Daisy shook her head, drawing herself up to her full height, determination flaring in her eyes. Peach sighed. She knew that look. Now, nothing would stop Daisy, not when she was in this mood. She smiled.

"I knew you were going to disagree, even before you knew what I was suggesting," the princess laughed. "'Cause, I was going to suggest that you come with me, and help me and Mario find out what happened. Only if you really feel up to it, I mean." Daisy snorted.

"Peach, I have never felt more up for anything. If that mange-ridden mutt and that bitch have laid one finger on Luigi, I swear I will tear their freaking throats out," Daisy growled, a low threatening noise that made the hair on Peach's neck stand straight up. That reminded her of another thing.

"Also Daisy, I know how hard this must be for you right now, but _please_, do not lose your temper around…you know, me and Mario. Try and keep any...wolfish habits to a minimum. Please. For your sake." Daisy nodded slowly.

"I'll try my best, really, Peach. The last thing I wanna do is hurt you or Mario." Peach nodded.

"I know." She shook her head wearily, before looking down at Daisy. "Well, we better get going then. I'll wake Mario up. The test results should be arriving soon." Peach headed out the door, Daisy following closely behind.

* * *

"Ki-King Diddlesmith?" Luigi repeated, confused. King Diddlesmith nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup. No doubt you've heard of me." The Koopa beamed down at him again. Luigi shook his head slowly, eyes still fixed on the Koopa. Diddlesmith's smile vanished. "Geez, our publicity team's a real model, ain't they?" He mumbled to himself, annoyed.

"So-sorry, what?" Luigi just looked even more confused. Diddlesmith shook his head.

"Don't worry. Hmmm, this is sorta awkward." The Koopa looked thoughtful. "Hey, do you know Bowser?" Luigi nodded, trembling as he thought of the Dark Land ruler, and the many evil deeds he had done, namely either kidnapping Peach or taking over the world, or both. "Aw cool, 'cause he's my big bro," Diddlesmith grinned. "He's awesome, isn't he?" Luigi paused, uncomfortable.

"Um. I…guess you could say that." Luigi rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but the Koopa. Diddlesmith didn't seem to notice his awkwardness. He was still beaming down at Luigi, looking as if Christmas had come early. Luigi gave him an awkward smile, warming up to the infectious joy of the Koopa. King Diddlesmith laughed, clapping his hands together. "Wow, you actually smiled. I was beginning to think that shocked look was permanently plastered to your face." He grinned again. "Though I wouldn't blame you considering what Raven and Luna did to you. I told them to be inconspicuous but Luna's been disobeying in, like, forever. She can't resist any chance to show off. And Raven's always following her even though she's a princess." Diddlesmith smiled to himself fondly. Luigi, however, was reeling. _Wait, princess?_

"Um, Raven's a…princess?"

"Hmmm? Oh yeah, she's the princess of Night Land. Well, she's been the princess for the last, what, century at least. Her mamma's Queen Nyx and her aunt's Queen Jaydes. And I'm pretty sure the Shadow Queen's, like, her great grandma or something. They're quite a nice family." Diddlesmith smiled down at Luigi, oblivious to his shock as Luigi processed all this new information. He shook his head, utterly bewildered.

"But, she's a-a," Luigi stammered. Diddlesmith looked at him curiously.

"She's a what?"

"A vampire!"

"Well, duh. Her mamma's a vamp, so, obviously she's gonna be a vamp too. Um, you do know how these things work right? "The Koopa gazed at him, looking worried. Luigi stared back, exasperated.

"I didn't know that! And, yes, I do know how these things work," he snapped, exhaustion making his temper flare. Diddlesmith backed away, hands up.

"Hey bro, calm down. No-one's arguing with you." Luigi shook his head.

"Sorry," he muttered. Diddlesmith shrugged.

"Hey, I don't blame you. I'd be pretty pissy if a giant mangy mutt came and woke me up," Diddlesmith raised his voice. Luigi though he heard a faint growl from the other side of the closed door. He whimpered. Diddlesmith glanced at him.

"Hey, it's just Luna." Luigi looked up in disbelief.

"_It_ has a name!?" he exclaimed shrilly. The Koopa glanced at him.

"Uh, yeah, _her_ name's Luna. Sorry, I'm guessing she was lying when she told me she was gonna 'play nice'". Diddlesmith made quotation marks in the air. Luigi nodded, still trembling.

"Um, how can you understand…Luna… if she's a wolf?" Luigi asked. Now it was Diddlesmith's turn to stare at him in disbelief.

"You honestly don't know?"

"Know what?"

At this question, the Koopa began to laugh.

"Oh, Grambi, Luna really got to you, didn't she?" he snickered.

"Wha-Why are you laughing?" Luigi asked, his voice shooting through several octaves in panic.

Diddlesmith shook his head, a smirk still on his face, before replying, "Luna's a werewolf." He watched with amusement as Luigi slowly sat down, taking it all in. The shocked look was back on his face. He began to tremble again. "Whoa there," Diddlesmith came and patted Luigi on the back. "It's okay. I'm serious. Luna wouldn't really hurt you. She just likes to give a good scare. And once she's found out your weakness…Hoo boy, man, you've got a real situation on your hands. She grabs you by the throat, so to speak, and won't let go." Diddlesmith smiled contentedly. "There was this one time-." Luigi held up a hand.

"So-sorry. I don't think I can handle any more stories. Anyway, I have something to ask you. Why did you kidnap me?" The Koopa looked away suddenly.

"Um, I can't really answer that right now, sorry," he said hesitantly with a small smile. "But, I assure you, I will answer it in due time. Just not now. But, before I go, I'll assign someone to be your tour guide, so you don't get lost." He raised his head and whistled sharply. A few moments later, a small, orange elephant with Paratroopa wings, came swooping out of the door. It hovered around Diddlesmith's head, gazing curiously at Luigi.

"Hiya, Diddlesmith. Whose this?" The elephant was female, judging by the sound of its voice.

"Amber, meet Luigi. Look after him and show him around. Make sure he doesn't get lost. I gotta run, Nancy needs me," he said with a grimace. Amber laughed.

"Aw, don't look so sad. Nancy loves you," she grinned mischievously. Diddlesmith growled at her before glancing at Luigi.

"I apologize in advance." And with that, the King vanished through a side door. Luigi stared after him, before looking at Amber. She was flying in circles around the single light that hung from the ceiling, giggling. Luigi coughed loudly. She stopped, looking at him.

"Oh, sorry, hee hee," she laughed. "Well, we better get moving Luigi. It's time for you to see the awesomeness that is the Koopa Klub."


	7. Welcome to Hell

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewing and reading. Your support means a lot, folks, so keep it coming in nice, big doses:)**

**As usual, I don't own anything except for Luna, Princess Raven, Ash the Hammer Bro, Paul the Boo, Amber the flying elephant, King Diddlesmith and the plot. Weretiger Princess owns Faian the weretiger, while Nintendo owns everything else. Whew**

Luigi followed Amber out the door, curious despite himself. He stopped, staring. They appeared to be in a small bar. Tables, with a couple of people seated, faced a large stage, where a female Koopa was crooning into a microphone, a pianist and double bass playing along softly to her. Two pool tables and a blackjack table were at the far end of the room, lit by a single light. The bar was long and black; on closer inspection, Luigi could see millions of shiny stones imbedded into its surface, reflecting the single light. Leather chairs and tables were seated around the edge, reminiscent of 50's style cafés, while in the far corner there appeared to be numerous bean bags and low plushy couches, partially blocking a small, nondescript door. There appeared to be a sign nailed above it, though it was too dimly lit for Luigi to see clearly. Amber was watching him take it all in. When he turned back to her, she smiled widely and spiralled up to the ceiling.

"Welcome to the Koopa Klub, Luigi!" She grinned down at him. "Now for the grand tour." She nodded towards the stage. "That's where the live acts play. We have at least one band a night I'm pretty sure. Except Saturdays. On Saturdays, Luna normally DJ's for us, if she's sober enough," she giggled. "And it looks like Lady G. is playing for us tonight." Luigi watched as the Koopa finished her song, to applause from the patrons sitting at the tables. She gestured to the tables. "Those are the tables, where people sit, obviously. Or sometimes, people dance on them. It's up to you, I guess." She grinned. "And tonight, it seems we have our regulars. Tommy and Lee, twin Dry Bones. Come on, we'll go to the pool tables next." Amber fluttered over to the pool tables, Luigi following behind. Two people were playing pool, a Hammer Bro. and a tall teenage boy with dark brown hair and a long fringe covering part of his face. They glanced up as Luigi and Amber approached. The Hammer Bro smirked at the small elephant.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't the Dumbo reject." The Hammer Bro glanced at Luigi. "And it seems she's got herself a rider. Tired of her yet?" The turtle snickered. Luigi stepped back, startled by the Bro.'s hostility. Amber, however, flew right up to his face and glared at him.

"Ash, do you want me to kick your butt?" The Hammer Bro glared back.

"Bring it on, Phanpy runt. The worst you could do is talk me to death." As Amber glared, wings fluttering urgently, the teenager came up and placed a hand on the Hammer Bro.'s shoulder.

"Whoa, both of you, calm down." The Bro. shook his hand off, while Amber glared at him.

"Mind your own business, Faian." The teenager, Faian, glared at her, then at Ash.

"Oh, I think it's my business when we are being rude to each other in front of our guest." His eyes flashed an inhuman ice blue, and his lips curled back to reveal lengthening canines. Luigi gulped, trembling. Amber and Ash backed off, heads bowed.

"Sorry Faian," they both apologized. He nodded curtly.

"Amber, I'll take over from here. I think both you and Ash need to take a time out." They both nodded, stalking away, Amber flashing an apologetic look over her shoulder. Faian sighed, and turned to Luigi. There was no trace of any inhuman aspects. His eyes were a gentle hazel colour, green flecked with gold.

"So, you are the famous Luigi, I presume?" He had a wonderfully smooth British accent. Luigi nodded, still shaken by Faian's transformation. Faian smiled kindly. "Don't be bothered by Amber and Ash. They're always fighting. I swear, they're worse than a married couple," he laughed. Luigi nodded, relaxing slightly. Faian glanced at him suddenly. "But that's not why you're nervous. I assure you, you have no reason to be afraid of me. After all, I didn't hurt you last time we met, did I?" Luigi gazed at him, confused. Suddenly, he realized, remembering Faian's ice-blue eyes. They were identical to…

"Tha-that… was you, the white tiger," Luigi managed to stutter. Faian glanced at him with a small smile.

"Yes, that was me. I'm a weretiger. We're quite rare nowadays. Well, most werecreatures are, to be honest. Nearly hunted to extinction in most parts of the Mushroom World." He shook his head sadly. Luigi nodded, feeling a pang for the friendly teenager.

"Um…Luna's a werewolf, isn't she?" Faian glanced at him, a smile chasing away the remnants of his sorrow.

"Yes. Actually, I should apologize on her behalf. For her little…wake-up this morning. And I also sincerely apologize for scaring you as well. Luna always seems to convince me to go along with whatever crazy scheme she dreams up." He smiled, seemingly lost in memories. Luigi smiled too. The dreamy look Faian had on his face reminded him of Mario whenever he talked about Peach. Faian shook his head suddenly, snapping out of his reverie. "Well, we should get moving. Like Amber said, this is the Koopa Klub. This is the main bar area," he gestured around to all the tables, bar and stage. "And the guest rooms where people and employees stay." He pointed to the door Luigi had come through. "This is a hotel as well," he added, seeing Luigi's surprised look. "Not that many people stay here long anyway. Honestly, you're a legend if you can put up with Luna and King Diddlesmith's arguing for more than 2 hours," he laughed. Luigi laughed too. For the first time since coming here, he felt himself beginning to finally relax and unwind.

He smiled, before asking, "Do you work here, then?" Faian shook his head.

"No, I just play with my band some nights. Luna and Princess Raven work here. Yeah, I know. A princess working, it's unthinkable," he smirked. "No, her and Luna normally do little errands for King Diddlesmith. He's Raven's godfather, and he's looking after her for her summer vacation. Him and Raven's mother go way back, heh. And Luna and Raven both do a lot of work in running the bar as well. They own the nightclub downstairs. Except it doesn't look much like a nightclub anymore. The words 'torture chamber' come to mind, and funnily enough, Luna named it 'The Inferno'". He shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face. "That girl, seriously, no-one knows what goes on in that head of hers." Luigi nodded, apprehensive.

"So, um, I…guess you could say…"He trailed off as he noticed something white materializing in the air above Faian's head. He gasped, trembling, as a Boo appeared, its small black eyes shining wickedly as it looked at Luigi. Faian looked at him with a smile, unaware of the spectre hovering behind him. Luigi pointed, trembling. "The-there's a-a…"Luigi stammered, nerves on edge.

"Hmmm?" Faian looked at the Boo. To Luigi's shock, he grinned. "Oh, hey Paul, how have you been?"

The Boo smiled, showing fangs.

"Pretty awesome, how ab-" He was cut off by Luigi's frenzied scream. They both looked. Luigi was cowering at the opposite end of the bar, unsuccessfully trying to hide behind a barstool. He was trembling uncontrollably, his face as white as a sheet.

"Hey, Luigi, wha-," Faian's eyes widened as he looked at Paul, then back to Luigi, realization hitting him like a brick. "Oh, right, oh Grambi. Um, Paul?" Faian turned to the Boo. "I think it might be best if you and Luigi aren't in the same room for the time being."

"Huh, why?" Paul cocked his head, confused. Faian leaned in and whispered,

"The King told me that Luigi suffers from…phasmophobia." Faian winced as Paul's expression changed to a careful neutral.

"So, I see." He stared at Luigi. "Well then, I'll just hang out at the basement with Raven," he cried out, vanishing as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Faian called after him, "It's just while he gets used to his new…surroundings!" He sighed, shaking his head, before turning to Luigi. "That's Paul. Sorry, King Diddlesmith warned me that you and Paul might have a little trouble getting on." Luigi shook his head, getting over his scare.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have acted that way. Um, is Paul going to be alright?" Faian gave a small smile.

"He'll get over it. He's sensitive, though Raven'll probably cheer him up by telling him some gossip about the Duplighosts back in Twilight Town. Anyway, on with the tour. Do you wish to go down to The Inferno or the kitchens?" Luigi thought for a bit.

"The Inferno." Faian nodded, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"You're a brave man, my friend." He led the way towards the small nondescript door Luigi had noticed earlier. He could see the sign now. _Abandon hope, all ye who enter here, _it read. He shivered at the familiar sounding verse. Faian glanced up at it as well. "Dante," he said, answering Luigi's unspoken question. "My apologies for Luna's sense of humour." The door opened onto a long winding staircase, carved out of stone. It was lit at intervals by old torches held in caskets. As Luigi glanced at it, eyes wide, Faian spoke. "Like I said, I'm pretty sure this used to be a torture chamber or a dungeon. It's still got a couple of old cells that Luna and I use on full moon nights." He smiled as Luigi looked up, a startled expression on his face. "Na, I'm just joking. Come on, it's perfectly safe." Faian started down the steps, Luigi gulping, before hurrying after the tall boy. They had gone down a couple of steps when Faian suddenly paused. Luigi bumped into him.

"Sor-," Luigi stopped when he realized Faian was standing stock-still. He was raising his head, nostrils flaring. A low growl rumbled in his chest, the threatening noise reverberating through the ground. Luigi trembled, remembering the huge white tiger from earlier, and the documentaries him and Mario used to watch, about the way tigers could shave the head off a deer with one swipe of their claws. He stared at Faian, as the boy glared into the darkness, muscles tensed as if to pounce. A sound came out of the darkness, seconds before a shape appeared. At the same moment, Faian crashed into it, knocking it over with his weight. The shape made a startled yelping noise, before both of them vanished into the darkness. Luigi cowered against the wall, trying to block the terrifying snarls and roars echoing out from the invisible staircase. A few moments later, Luigi realized the noises had stopped. He started down the steps, trembling, expecting a monster to jump out and eat him. A scraping noise sounded from further down. Luigi stopped, standing stock-still, trembling. The scraping noise drew closer.

Luigi closed his eyes, waiting for the end, before a very human sounding voice said, "Oooo, well hello there." Luigi opened his eyes. Standing before him was not a hideous monster, but a teenage girl. She looked around sixteen, and had long, jet-black hair, the same colour as Raven's, though it was wavy, not straight. Her fringe was styled in a similar way to Daisy's; two flipped up bangs, though this girl's was scruffier looking. She had large, dark eyes and a slight tanned complexion to her skin, like she spent too much time outdoors. Despite looking unlike anyone he had ever known, something about her seemed vaguely familiar. He cocked his head, trying to figure it out. The girl stared back at him, her lips curved in a half-smirk. She yelled to something behind her back. "This guy's smart. He's staring." Luigi shook his head, embarrassed as he realized he _was_ staring. He glanced up as Faian came jogging up beside the girl. With a shock, Luigi realized that Faian's shirt was nearly shredded. Looking at the girl, her clothes were in a similar state. Faian smiled, embarrassed.  
"Sorry about that Luigi. Didn't recognize Luna. Oh yeah, Luigi this is Luna. She's already pretty well acquainted with you, I presume." Luna smirked, glancing at Luigi.

"Oh yeah, we had a blast at the party, _didn't we_ Luigi?" she said in a dangerously sweet tone. Luigi gulped, trembling as Luna's smile got even wider. She stalked up to him, trailing a finger around his neck as she prowled behind him. He shivered, terrified, as she leaned in close. "And we'll have even more fun in the coming days. I can feel it," she whispered in his ear. She stalked back in front of him, staring him down with a small smile on her face. Luigi trembled, feeling every bit the rabbit caught in the wolf's gaze. She grinned, fangs catching the torchlight, eyes shining amber. "Welcome to Hell."


	8. News

Mario yawned, sitting up on the couch, blinking his sleepy eyes open. He looked around, realizing he was in Peach's living room. _Huh? Wha-, _he thought, momentarily startled as to why he was at the castle and not at his house. Memories came flooding back , and he wearily remembered the sober reason why he was here. He sighed, before looking around, and he realized Peach was gone. Getting up quickly, he was about to set off in search of her, when he heard footsteps echoing down the staircase. Looking up, he was relieved to see Peach walking down the steps. He started towards her. Peach looked up and, with a smile, she ran to him, Mario catching her in his embrace.

"Did you have a nice nap?" She inquired, her light blue eyes glittering with happiness. He nodded, not bothering to speak as he held her tighter. They stood there, and probably would have remained like that for the entire afternoon, when a quiet cough distracted them.

"Huh?" Mario looked up, and for the first time, noticed Princess Daisy standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs. Peach looked up also, red beginning to creep into her cheeks.

"Oh, uh, yeah, Mario? Daisy was staying with me. She had a bit of a fever in the last week, that's why she didn't attend the Ball." Mario nodded, shocked by Daisy's appearance. She was very pale, with dark shadows under her eyes. Her lips, normally curved into a cheeky grin, were turned down with exhaustion. She stared back at him with dull blue eyes, her orange-brown hair matted and tangled, out of its regular, neat arrangement. Her dress was gone too, replaced by her sleep wear: a white tank top and long pyjama pants, covered with motifs of daisies. The absence of her dress only added to her gaunt appearance, as Mario noticed how skinny she was looking as well. As Daisy gazed back at him, she smiled slowly.

"Hey Mario." Even her voice sounded hoarse, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. Mario nodded uncertainly.

"Hey Daisy. You okay?" She nodded slowly, before looking at Peach.

"Grambi, I must look like a mess. People are asking me if I'm okay, that's new." Her smile grew wider as Peach giggled.

"Oh, Daisy, we all worry about you." Daisy smiled, before turning back to Mario.

"I could ask you the same thing, y'know." Mario nodded, a determined look on his face.

"We will find Luigi. I swear it. I won't rest until I do." Daisy gazed at him, her smile slowly growing wider.

"Yeah, I knew you were going to say that. That's why I decided I should have some fun too. It's soooo boring staying cooped up in a small bedroom all day. Peach was worried I'd start climbing the walls. I think I did once," Daisy grinned, looking more like her old self, as Peach glanced at her sharply. Mario stared at them, confused by Peach's reaction. Daisy shook her head. "Never mind." Peach sighed, before turning back to Mario.

"Have the test results come back?" He shook his head. Peach looked worried. "Really? I thought they-," A knock sounded on the main doors. All three looked up as the noise reverberated through the castle. Peach smiled. "Speak of Bonechill, that must be it now." Mario and the two princesses made their way to the doors. Swinging them open, all three looked down to see Professor E. Gadd standing on the castle steps. Seeing the people standing before him, he dropped to the floor in a hasty bow.

"Your Majesty, I have the results."

Peach nodded."Come in, then, kind professor, and please, discuss them with us."

The Professor nodded."At once, Your Majesty." The Professor quickly walked inside, Mario shutting the doors behind him. They made their way to the main conference room, where Peach held political meetings with visiting royals and dignitaries on occasions. Mario and the princesses settled in their seats, their eyes fixed on the scientist and his large pile of papers. He shuffled them nervously on the table's surface and cleared his throat. "As I mentioned before, we have completed the tests on the blood samples taken from the scene." Mario noticed that Daisy stiffened at the mention of the blood. The Professor continued. "The blood tested positive for Luigi's. And we may have found evidence for what his kidnappers actually were," he finished grimly. Mario and the girls leaned forward slightly in anticipation. The Professor looked at each of them, before saying,"His blood contained traces of draculin, a chemical normally only found in the saliva of vampire bats and Swoops. In these animals, its job is to prevent the blood from clotting while they feed." Mario shuddered, images of bats baring sharp fangs flitting through his mind. Daisy looked distinctly ill, while Peach had gone pale. The Professor looked soberly at them. "Initially, we were quite confused, as no other traces of these animals were found at the scene. However, repeated analysis of this sample showed that it was of a different molecular structure from the draculin found in Swoops and vampire bats. We also found very faint traces of venomous saliva. When we tested these, they only matched with one species, neither Swoop or vampire bat." He gazed around at their worried faces. "_Homo sapiens sanguinus_, more commonly known as the vampire." Shock coursed through Mario. Peach gasped, while Daisy just looked on in horror. Peach was stammering,

"Bu-but vampires haven't come here to the Mushroom Kingdom for over 200 years." Professor E. Gadd gazed solemnly at Peach.

"These beings are immortal. 200 years to an old one is like a couple of months to a human. But yes, Princess Peach is right in saying that vampires haven't been sighted here in a very long time. After all, they are not native to this region of the Mushroom World. They are more commonly found in areas near Rogueport and Night Land. I believe the royal family of Night Land are rumoured to be vampires themselves, though no outsider has ever gotten near enough to confirm it." The Professor shook his head sadly. "But what we do know of vampires is that they are a subspecies of human transformed into their current state by a blood-borne virus transmitted by the bite of another vampire, followed by consumption of vampire blood. The resulting effects of this virus gives the individual afflicted the powers of mind-control, shapeshifting and supernatural strength, speed, heightened senses and unbelievably fast healing. However, they develop an extremely fatal reaction to sunlight, and I believe garlic is a common deterrent too. And obviously, they have a need to drink blood regularly. It's their only food group," The Professor finished.

Mario and the princesses stared at him worriedly, before Mario murmured,"So, it looks like we need to gear up for another trip to Rogueport." The Professor and the princesses turned to look at him. Mario met each of the gazes steadily, determination flaring in his blue eyes. Peach and Daisy both nodded, looking determined. The Professor, however, looked horrified.

"You're not actually planning to go to Rogueport to find the vampire, are you!?" he shrieked. "It's too dangerous. No-one's ever gone to their leaders' lair and come back!" Mario glanced down at him.

"Professor, honestly, we can't thank you enough for all the help you've given us. But I must do this. Luigi's my brother. I just can't throw him to the wolves. Or vampires in this case. But, Professor, you remember. Luigi's saved me on more than one occasion before. He even braved a mansion full of ghosts to save me. I must do this." The Professor stared at him, worry clouding his gaze, before he closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"I can see nothing will change your mind Mario. But please, be careful. Vampires are cunning creatures. Not only do they have centuries of wisdom and intellect on their side, they are also supremely powerful. And, if you really are going to Rogueport, I advise that the best place to start looking for vampires is Twilight Town. That's the Night Land capital, and the home of the royal family. Queen Nyx is the current reigning monarch I believe."

Mario nodded."Yes, I've been there before. Thank you so much, Professor. This wouldn't be possible without your research and wisdom."

The Professor bowed his head. "It has been my honour, Mario, Princess Peach, and Princess Daisy. I wish you the best of luck on your search. I will call if we find anything new that may be of help." And with that, the Professor left. Mario, Peach and Daisy all looked at each other.

Daisy was the first to break the silence. "Well? Are we going to wait here till the vampire comes to kidnap us as well? No! Let's get going people." She jumped up, waiting for Peach and Mario. Mario got up too, energized by Daisy's infectious determination, but Peach stayed silent.

She gazed at Daisy with worry."Daisy, are you sure you're well enough to come with us?"

Daisy snorted."Peach, I love you to death, but pleease could you stop acting like my mum. I've already got one for that. And anyway, it's Luigi. Do you think I'd be able to stay here while you two go looking for him?"

Peach sighed, a small smile appearing on her face."No, I don't think you could. I was just making sure."

"Well, now that you're sure, we can get going and make those leeches sorry that they ever took Luigi."

Peach and Mario both nodded. "Let's get going. If the vampires are half as scary as the Professor made them out to be, Luigi doesn't have much time," Mario said solemnly.


	9. Whose Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

**We all know who owns who I hope ;) Enjoy:P**

Faian glared at Luna.

"Stop scaring him Luna. It was sorta your fault that he insulted you. Just get over it and behave, geez," he growled, annoyed. Luna snapped her attention back to him.

"Well, excuse me Faian, but it was sorta my job," she snapped back, turning to Luigi as she spoke, her eerie amber eyes glittering. Luigi backed up a couple of steps.

Faian continued to glare at her. "Well, how was Luigi supposed to know that?"

"Is this about the Ball, and the name I called you? Because I'm really, really sorry," he apologized quickly, backing back up a couple of steps. Luna stared down at him, her malicious expression softening.

She sighed."No, Luigi, I should be apologizing. I'm sorry I scared you, both there and this morning. And just now." Luigi nodded slowly, staring down at her from his step. She smiled tentatively. "I'm actually really sorry. I normally don't act like that. Normally," she added with a grin. "And, I'd like to show you around, if you'd like. Fresh start?" She winked at him. Luigi nodded, confused at her sudden change of mood. She laughed. "Aw, you're so cute. You'd give me a run for my money." She glanced at Faian standing behind her. "Happy now? We're best friends. Pretty soon, we'll be making BFF bracelets for each other and start wearing matching t-shirts." Faian shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Yeah, Luna, sure. You owe me a new t-shirt by the way."

Luna smiled at him sweetly. "Of course. I'll get you one of those novelty ones you love so much. Actually, because I'm such a sweetie, I'll give you the one I own that says _Look What The Cat Dragged In_. See what a self-sacrificing person I am?"

Faian threw a dark look at her, but it quickly dissolved into a laugh. "Okay, Luna, I'll let you have him." He smiled. "As long you promise not to eat him," he added quickly.

Luna laughed as Luigi stiffened. "Oh don't worry, Luigi," she smiled, turning to him. "You're too skinny for my tastes. Besides, all that jumping around would've made your meat stringy and hard to digest. And I, for one, prefer to avoid indigestion." She grinned again, a friendly one. Luigi smiled too, relaxing slightly. Faian nodded at them both.

"Good girl Luna. We'll give you a treat and a head scratch for your hard work," he snickered.

Luna bared her teeth in a deadly smile. "Watch it kitty. I might take your yarn ball hostage." Faian shook his head, laughing, as he headed back up to the bar. Luna sighed, a smile appearing on her face, before she glanced at Luigi. "Sorry you had to listen to that. Well, on with the tour. What have you seen so far?"

"The main bar, and Faian introduced me to Ash, Amber and," he gulped. "Paul."

"Oh," Luna looked apprehensive. "How'd that go?" Luigi shivered a bit, eyes shut tight. "Um, not that great." Luna gave him a small hug. Luigi flinched, unused to the contact and surprised by the caring gesture.

"Don't worry about it. If it's any consolation, Paul gets over things faster than me," she grinned, pulling away. Luigi smiled, cheered up by Luna's optimism. They continued down the winding staircase. Luna continued to chat. "So, Luigi, do you like it here?" No-one's tried to eat you yet? Apart from me, of course." She grinned again, teeth flashing in the darkness. Even in human form, her teeth were very white; a pale imitation of the wolf's snarling fangs. Luigi shook his head.

"No, everyone's been pretty nice. Except Ash. He got into a fight with Amber," he said worriedly. Luna snorted.

"In my humble opinion, Ash is so full of himself, that there's no room left for brains. That's my soon-to-be-scientifically-proven theory about why he acts the way he does, so don't worry about him." Luigi laughed, his mood lightening. Luna flashed him a smile. "Yay, someone likes my jokes. It's a miracle," she laughed.

Luigi grinned at her. "So why haven't you scientifically proven it yet?"

Luna looked thoughtful. "Guess I'm just too lazy to wrestle Ash onto my mad scientist autopsy bench and rummage through his head with my scalpel and chainsaw." Luna smiled sweetly to herself. "Though I'm not too lazy to fantasize about it. Ahhh, if only." She closed her eyes.

Luigi scratched his head, staring at her in confusion. "You have a chainsaw?"

Luna blinked open an eye. "Yeah, her name's Lollipop."

"What do you need, um, her for?"

She closed her eyes. "Kidnapping helpless strangers and torturing them, occasionally eating them, and also, going on the occasional bloody rampage." Luigi looked at her, shocked.

She glanced at him, perplexed. "Seriously, man, have you never seen _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_?"

Luigi shook his head quickly, gulping."Um, I-I'm not really a horror, um, fan."

Luna's expression turned sympathetic. "Oh, squeamish are we?" Luigi nodded, eyes closed. She smiled wryly. "Well, I should warn you, this place gets pretty rowdy around full moon nights. Mainly cause of me and Faian. You aren't vegetarian, by any chance?" Luigi shook his head. Luna clapped. "Good, cause me and Faian go hunting and if we kill something we can't finish off, we bring it back for the cooks. They love us by the way." She grinned cheekily. "But, yeah, I'm warning you, these are fully mutilated carcasses here, like, blood dripping all over the floor and intestines falling out, that sort of thing. But, you should be able to handle it," she finished cheerily. Luigi looked distinctly ill. The werewolf glanced at him. "Oh, yeah, please don't get sick. Do you need to sit down, or something?" Luigi shook his head.

"No. I think I'll be fine," he managed to choke out.

Luna gazed sympathetically at him, before saying, "Also, just a little warning, we have horror nights every Sunday. This week's ghost night and from what I heard, you don't really…appreciate ectoplasmic individuals." Luigi shook his head, trembling. Luna looked at him with concern. "Grambi, you really hate ghosts don't you? You know, you don't have to watch it. I think the movie we're watching is _The Grudge_. But, yeah, you don't have to watch it."

Luigi nodded, eyes still closed. "I think I'll pass." Luna nodded, a smile back on her face. An awkward silence fell between them. They continued down the seemingly never-ending stairs when Luna suddenly put a hand out, stopping Luigi.

"We're here." All Luigi could do was stare. Before them, a large iron door loomed out of the darkness. Thick metal bands wrapped around it, while the handle was shaped like a snarling demon head. But that wasn't the thing that startled Luigi. Dominating the centre of the door was a huge, gruesome goat skull. The horns twisted away from the head, nearly a metre in length. The hollow eyes seemed to stare mockingly at Luigi. He trembled, feeling sick, before glancing over at Luna. With a flash of surprise, he realized she was smiling at it. She sighed. Luigi glanced at her, still trembling.

"Wha-what is this?" he whispered. Luna glanced at him, a look of guilt appearing on her face as she took in his expression.

"I'll explain to you inside. I think you need to sit down." Luna quickly opened the door, the old iron screeching horribly against the stone floor. Inside, there was more darkness, lit by a faint light in the distance. Luigi stood there, rooted to the spot with uncertainty. Luna made an impatient noise, nearly a growl, grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him unceremoniously inside. "Come on. There are others who'd like to see you. And really man, relax. There's nothing to be afraid of." Luigi glanced at her. The darkness was all-encompassing. Luna was nothing more than a dark shadow, albeit a very impatient one dragging him forward by his shirt.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Seriously Luigi, just trust me. I honestly won't let anything hurt you." The light was getting closer. Luigi soon found himself standing in front of another door, a much smaller iron one than the one they had just come through. It was lit by a single torch, held in a casket attached to the front. Luna opened it. "This door leads to the old cells. Faian and I sometimes come down here for…privacy during full moon nights, though most of the time we go out of town to the Shell National Park near here. But yeah, try and avoid this area if you have no-one with you." The door swung open. Luna headed inside, tugging Luigi along with her. The plumber was craning his head around, trying to take it all in. It had clearly been a series of old jail cells before, though it seemed to be newly renovated with lights, unlike the torches outside. Some cells, he noticed, were fitted out with plushy, velvet cushions, couches and tables. Luna headed to one of the cells near the end of the corridor. She motioned for Luigi to stop. "Just wait, I'll check in with them." She disappeared into the cell for a couple of moments, leaving Luigi alone in the hallway. He looked around nervously. Despite the renovations, the cells and hallway still held a chill, and Luigi noticed that some shackles were still attached to the walls in some cells, adding to the creepy atmosphere. He shivered, imagining what it must have been like during the prisoner days. Lost in his thoughts, he nearly hit the ceiling when Luna came sauntering cheerfully out of the cell. "They're excited to meet…" She trailed off as she took in Luigi's expression. She smirked. "Aww, someone's been daydreaming," she growled, before breaking off into fits of laughter. Luigi sighed. She stopped, looking amused. "Well, I'd ask what it was about, but I'm trying to be mature. Come and meet the rest of us." Luigi followed the werewolf into the cell. Low plushy beanbags and comfortable-looking cushions were placed around a table. There were three people gathered around the table, two near the middle of the cell, while the other was sitting apart in the corner. Luna beamed. "Everybody, we have a guest! Be nice," she smiled, flashing fangs, "Or else." The two seated near the table looked up. Luigi shuddered as he met Raven's emerald gaze, remembering their true colour. The vampire smiled at him apologetically, guilt creeping into her gaze. Luigi looked away uncomfortable. Despite her apparent guilt over her biting him, he still didn't trust the female vampire, especially after seeing her true colours back at the ball. With a sigh, Raven returned her attention to the card game she seemed to be playing with the other patron, a Shy Guy. But it didn't look like any Shy Guy Luigi had seen. Instead of the usual red robe they wore, this one had a pink one. It also had a small pink bow nestled on its head, with a love heart adorning its belt. "Luigi, I think you know Raven pretty well, and this is Shy Gal." Luna nodded towards Raven and the Shy Gal, who gave a friendly wave. She turned her attention to the figure in the corner. "And this is…," she trailed off as Luigi stared in disbelief at the figure. The person turned around, staring back at the plumber with an expression of cold amusement.

"And so, the servant comes crawling back like a homing pigeon with a broken wing," the figure said with an icy flourish. Luna looked between them, confusion etched on her face. Raven and Shy Gal had looked up from their card game, gazing at the exchange with interest.

Luna spoke."Um, do you two know each other?"

The figure answered, gaze locked on Luigi. "Yes. It's been too long, dear Luigi!" Luigi gulped, trembling, as he took in the three points of the jester's hat, and the horribly familiar amused gaze. He closed his eyes as the world swayed around him. His voice came out as a barely audible whisper.

"Dimentio."


	10. Welcome To My Nightmare

"Well, that was unexpected."

"Understatement of the century there, Luna."

"Heh, you need a new line, Ash. Actually, could you be a darl and bring me some coffee. Vanilla latte, please. And check up on Raven and Dim Sim."

"You know he hates it when you call him that." Luigi's eyelids fluttered. He could hear voices. They continued.

"Well, his real name's too long. And anyways, Dim Sim sounds cuter. It's better than Raven's pet name for him."

"Do I want to know what Raven's pet name for him is?"

"Nope. Let's just say I'm surprised that he's still with her."

"Business-wise or…?" A distinct growl sounded.

"Ash, are you gonna stand there all day gossiping, or am I gonna have to resort to violence?"

"Geez Luna, that's a bit much for a cup of coffee." Deathly silence, broken by a deep rumbling noise. "Okay, okay, I'll get your stupid coffee!" It was Ash, sounding unusually nervous.

"Aw, you're such a sweetie Ash," Luna crooned. Disgruntled muttering sounded, followed by footsteps that gradually faded. A soft hand stroked Luigi's forehead.

"Oh, Luigi, who are you?" A soft voice whispered sadly, as Luigi drifted back to unconsciousness.

* * *

Luigi jerked awake. It was dark. He looked around frantically, heart hammering in his chest. He was in an unfamiliar room, lying on a plain white bed. He shook his head, hair and pyjamas sticking to his skin. Something had happened, something terrible. He shook his head, shivering.

"Looking for me?" Luigi whipped around. Floating in the darkness, his gaze glittering with mirth, was Dimentio. Luigi trembled as the jester looked him over, contempt lighting his gaze. "Well, well, well, the green mustache man has finally awoken from his seemingly eternal slumber. I must admit Luigi, that this is rather unexpected. Even I did not anticipate this little rendezvous, hard as it is to believe." He grinned maliciously. Luigi, shaking off his drowsiness, glared at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought Mario finished you off back at Castle Bleck." Dimentio smirked.

"It takes more than a simple showdown with an overweight plumber to finish off the great master of dimensions. And also, my dear Luigi, don't act as if you remember what happened." Luigi flinched. Dimentio, seeing this, laughed.

"Ah ha ha ha, so it seems I've hit a weak spot. Don't worry Luigi. You didn't miss out on much. However, if you so desire it, I could…jog your memory a bit," he smiled, drifting closer. Luigi continued to glare at him.

"You can take those offers and shove it, Dimentio. I don't want anything to do with you," he growled, trying not to show his fear. Dimentio stopped, amusement lighting his gaze.

"Oh what a temper! Your eyes, they burn like scalding water on a bad sunburn! But," he began to drift back slowly. "I am not here to torment you like I once did. Let's just say I've mellowed a bit since we last met." Luigi glared at him, not bothering to speak. Dimentio's gaze glittered, his yellow eye shining like a cat's. "Ah, I see you are not convinced. Well, how about you come and speak to me in the real world, hmmm? I promise I'll answer all of your questions, no doubt of which there are many." Luigi shook his head, still glaring daggers. The jester threw his hands up in exasperation. "Well, it seems we are still like a sad deflated sack with no trust. Luigi, if I wanted to end your game for good, I would have done it already. I am utterly harmless, both here and in the waking world." Luigi looked confused, forgetting to be angry for a moment.

"The waking world? You mean we're in a-"

"A dream. Yours specifically." He floated a bit higher, looking smug. "Hypnomancy, the magic of dreams. Something we can all learn to do if we just…wake up." Dimentio snapped his fingers. Blinding white light filled the room. Luigi screamed as he was swallowed in the light, Dimentio's laughter echoing in his ears.

* * *

Luna was dozing in the chair across from Luigi's bed, waiting for Dimentio to finish. The jester had come up earlier, Raven tagging along, offering to wake Luigi up.

Luna had glared at him.

"What makes you think you can make him better, when the whole reason he's like this in the first place is because of you?"

Dimentio, unfazed by her hostility, had continued.

"My dear sweet Luna, I promise you I can get him out of the nightmare he is trapped in. I swear on my life that I will not harm him. Please?"

Luna sighed.

"Fine. But, if he gets worse, I'm hunting you down and shredding you into purple-and-yellow confetti. I'm sure you'll look very nice raining down on people's heads next Mardi Gras."

Dimentio had merely bowed extravagantly at this threat.

"Of course. I won't stop you." And with that, he disappeared, delving into Luigi's subconsciousness to wake him up.

Raven had stayed behind, mainly to calm Luna down, with phrases ranging from, "Oh, they'll both be fine. What else could possibly go wrong?" to "Calm down Luna. You'll just make it worse if you shift now, and Luigi wakes up to a wolf running around his bedroom. I think he's already had enough rude awakenings," to, "Dimentio can't harm him. Aunt Jaydes and Mother put a spell on him, and…well I saw the…effects of it first-hand, and let me tell you, it isn't pretty, especially for _him._" After this, Raven had decided to head back downstairs to inform King Diddlesmith and everyone else of the situation.

It had been three hours, and Dimentio had not come back, nor had Luigi seemed any better. She sighed, trying to resist the urge to start pacing. That was a wolf thing, and she didn't want to stress Luigi out any more than he already was. Luna drew her knees up onto the chair, hugging them against her body, as she tried to ignore the clawing pain that had started deep in her stomach.

"Hurry the hell up, Dimentio," she growled under her breath. No sooner had she said this than Luigi had begun to toss on the bed. He moaned, his breathing becoming faster. Luna could smell his fear, hear his heart rate quickening. She growled, the tension making her bristle. _Dimentio, what the hell are doing to him?_ she thought agitatedly. With a sudden scream, Luigi sat bolt upright on the bed. Luna leapt up in shock, claws sprouting immediately from her fingertips. Dimentio appeared in the same instant, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Ta-da! Better than new." The jester stopped at the sight of Luna crouching across the room, a steady growl rumbling through her chest. Her eyes had changed to a fierce amber colour, their gaze fixed on Luigi. Dimentio tutted. "What's wrong now? Did you actually decide to agree with me for once and prefer that he stayed asleep?"

Luna snarled, not taking her eyes off of Luigi.

"Shut the hell up, Joker wannabe."

Dimentio gave a gasp, filled with fake hurt.

"After all I've done! Really, Luna, I thought our relationship was going impeccably well."

Luna shook her head, calming down, wrestling her wolf half back down. She smiled sweetly up at the jester.

"I'm _so_ sorry, my sweet little jester. I could never _ever_ stay mad at you. _Dim Sim,_" she crooned in sweet sugared tones dripping with venom. Dimentio smiled back, equally venomous.

"Anytime, _mia luna fanciulla_."

Luna glared at him.

"Say that again and I'll wreck your pretty-boy face. Yes!" she growled truimphantly as Dimentio stared at her in disbelief. "I've seen you without your mask! And I'll admit...," she leaned back and looked at him with a critical eye. "Oh, _dayum," _she winked, smiling to reveal savage white teeth. Dimentio blinked a few more times, before regaining his composure.

"I shall take that as a compliment, wolf," he replied, distant and cold, though Luna could smell something raging beneath his mask. Figuratively. Choosing to ignore it, the werewolf shrugged.

"Take it any way you want it. Anyways enough about you. Is Luigi going to be okay? You didn't try and mentally scar him, or anything?"

Dimentio floated casually in the air above her, his bad mood seemingly forgotten.

"Oh, my dear, it's a bit late for that. But I promise you that he'll be fine. And I should really get going and inform our king of this situation. Ciao!" He vanished, the shockwave distorting the air around him. Luna sighed, making sure she was completely calm, before heading over to Luigi. He was still sitting upright, panting heavily. His eyes were closed, and he had gone a sickly white colour.

"Um, Luigi?" she reached a hand out tentatively. He gave a sharp gasp, before snapping his eyes open. They focused unsteadily on Luna.

"Luna?" he breathed, eyes clouded with sleepiness.

"Shhh," she pulled the covers up around him. "You're okay now. Nothing to worry about." Luigi shook his head, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"I…think I had the weirdest dream, "he sighed, yawning as he did.

"Yeah?" Luna murmured, "What was it about?" He shook his head, trying to remember.

"I was in this strange room…and then...DIMENTIO!" Luigi yelled suddenly, eyes focusing on something behind Luna.

"Wha-" she whipped around, baring her teeth as she spotted Dimentio floating lazily in the air above them. He grinned, taking in the scene before him. Luna breathed deeply, trying to ignore Luigi whimpering behind her. She gave Dimentio the most charming smile she could muster. "Dimentio, since you're so fond of tag…how about we play a game right now?" The jester's smile vanished as Luna shifted, ignoring the intense pain tearing through her body, trying to push it forward as fast as she could. The black wolf leapt at the jester, a blur, too fast for even Dimentio to avoid. She pinned him to the ground, digging her claws deep into his body, before baring a mouthful of deadly teeth. A snarl rumbled through her chest. Dimentio glared at her, refusing to back down. He struggled, trying to break free of the werewolf's grasp, but she dug her claws in even harder, making Dimentio gasp slightly at the pain. Small pinpricks of blood began to drip to the floor, the smell sending her instincts into a frenzy. Dimentio smiled.

"I say Luna, this is a rather unfair game of tag, don't you think?" She growled in reply. _And you're playing a rather unfair game with Luigi's head, don't YOU think!? _Dimentio sighed. "Could you really not blame me, dear Luna? After all, isn't that what I excel at?" And with this Dimentio vanished, reappearing in the air a few metres above Luna. She whipped around, hackles bristling, teeth bared, as Dimentio launched a purple and yellow energy sphere at the wolf. She growled, tensing, waiting for the pain as the sphere flew towards her. However, just as it seemed it would hit her, a blinding white flash of light filled the room, followed by an eerie shriek. She closed her eyes against the flash, tensing. Opening them again, she was confused momentarily as she realized that Dimentio was nowhere to be seen. Glancing over at Luigi, she was relieved to see that he was unhurt, but looking relatively shaken. He was also staring nervously at her._ Oops_, she thought, shifting back to human form. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. He smiled back tentatively.

Walking over, she leaned down next to him, as he asked, "What happened? Where's Dimentio?"

Luna shrugged.

"I don't actually know. Raven told me that Queen Jaydes and Queen Nyx both collaborated on a spell they put on Dimentio to keep him from causing trouble while he was out and about but she never…" Luna trailed off as she realized something was rustling the bedsheets at the other end of the bed. Motioning for Luigi to keep quiet, she prowled over quietly, peering out at the bed. Nothing. Then, more rustling sounded as a shape crept out from underneath the bed. Luna put her hands to her mouth. "Oh, Grambi, really?" Luigi was craning his head, trying to see what had shocked Luna.

"What? What is it?"

Luna knelt down slowly, watching the shape in front of her. It stared back at her, a confused and pained look in its gaze. Luna shook her head.

"Dimentio? What did they do to you?"

**About the Italian bit, I got that off Google Translate, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong:P No offense intended or anything like that intended :)**


	11. There Are No Words For This

**Ah ha ha ha behold Chapter 11;) Please don't hate me for what I'm about to do to Dimentio:0 Once again, I only own Luna, Raven and King Diddlesmith. Nintendo owns everything else. The Hilton family owns the, um, Hilton hotels Also, just an interesting note for Super Paper Mario lovers and players, apparently there was a plan to adapt it into a movie, and there is an online petition you can sign if you're interested;) Anyways, enjoy!**

Gulls screeched overhead as Mario and the princesses arrived in Rogueport. Gazing around, Mario wasn't surprised to see not much had changed. Still grey and grubby, with only a few people out and about, not surprising considering the late hour. Peach and Daisy came up to next to him, Peach gazing around restlessly at the shady surroundings while the Sarasaland princess looked around her with an expression close to distaste.

"So…this is Rogueport?"

Mario glanced at her.

"I thought the name was a bit of a giveaway. Rogueport isn't a name you'd normally associate with Hilton hotels and 5-star resorts."

Daisy nodded, a faint smirk appearing on her face.

"I guess."

Mario looked at her closely. She still looked thin and tired, despite her assurances that she felt fine. The purple shadows under her eyes had gone, but there was still an air of fatigue that was so unusual for the normally perky princess that Mario couldn't help but feel concerned. Peach spoke, drawing his attention away from Daisy.

"The train to Twilight Town leaves in half an hour. Should we get our tickets now, or should we wait?"

Mario shook his head.

"Let's get them now. Beat the rush."

Peach laughed.

"Great reason Mario. The rush to Twilight Town is almost non-existent."

Mario laughed along with her.

"You never know. I hear gothic views and eternal twilight is pretty big in the tourist industry these days. Hyrule had a resurging interest in it a couple years back."

Peach giggled.

"True. Well then, let's go." All three of them headed towards the train station, none of them spotting the small purple Swooper circling high overhead…

* * *

"Luna? Luna! Come on, what is it?" Luigi was still craning his neck, trying to see what had shocked the werewolf. Luna was still staring down at the thing, (whatever it was), with the strangest expression on her face.

She gulped.

"Luigi. Just…" She leaned down, not bothering to finish her sentence. Luigi heard a soft crooning noise. "Shh, it's okay, it's just me. That's a good boy. I'm just gonna…" A hissing noise sounded, followed by a sharp yelp from Luna. "Dear Grambi, Dimentio, I'm trying to help you!" Another hiss sounded, followed by a sharp growl from Luna. "Fine then." Luna's head popped up suddenly at the end of the bed. Luigi jumped back, startled.

"What is it? What happened to Dimentio?" Luna gave the strangest smile, the smile of someone who found the situation intensely funny and tragically sad at the same time.

"Um, Dimentio's…fine…ish. He's just getting used to being, um…a foot high for the time being. And the fact that he can't annoy anyone with his stupid similes anymore." She grinned suddenly, looking down beside her. "Hey, there's an upside Dim Sim. No more crap similes that make absolutely no sense whatsoever!" Another hiss sounded. Luna's grin grew wider. "Sorry, I don't speak cat. But I can take a fair guess at what you're saying," she replied to Dimentio cheekily.

"Huh, what?" Luigi cocked his head to the side, looking terribly confused.

Luna shook her head, her smile vanishing.

"I think this is something that is better explained with visual aids." She smiled sadly, before ducking back down. She popped back up again, holding a very familiar jester's hat, clothes and comedy theatre mask. She tossed them on the bed, before ducking back down. Luigi stared in utter disbelief at the clothes.

"Uh, Luna? Why are Dimentio's clothes…" he trailed off as Luna popped back up again, this time with a small, black and white bundle in her arms. They both stared at it as it turned its head to face them, its yellow and purple eyes blinking in confusion. Luigi blinked back. "It can't be…" Luna smiled, still hiding a hint of sadness.

"Oh, but I'm afraid it is." She gently set the cat down, as it got up shakily on its four legs. It tottered unsteadily towards the pile of clothes, stopping to paw at the hat. It looked up, eyes filled with pain, as it let out a meow of misery. Luigi, despite what Dimentio had done to him before, couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he realized what the jester must be going through, disoriented and probably traumatized at his sudden transformation. The cat flopped down, lying in the middle of his clothes, mewling with sadness the whole time. Luna shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Well, I guess we know what that 'spell' Raven was talking about does. To be honest, I'm actually a bit surprised. They haven't done this sort of punishment in a really long time." Luigi and Dimentio looked up at the same time. The cat began to yowl loudly, his voice filled with clear urgency. Luna winced. "Hey, Dimentio I have sensitive hearing too, y'know. Maybe if you shut up I can actually tell you what happened." Dimentio clamped his jaws shut, his gaze fixed on Luna, burning with such intensity that Luigi was surprised the werewolf didn't melt.

Luna met his gaze, her eyes glittering, as she continued. "That's better. Well, as you both probably know, after Dimentio was defeated, he was sent to the Underwhere. Long story short, Queen Jaydes and Queen Nyx, Jaydes' sister and Raven's mother, collaborated on a spell to keep Dim Sim here from hurting anyone while he was out and about in the world. Don't ask me why they didn't keep him there, 'cause I don't know," she added, seeing Luigi open his mouth. He shut it. "Yeah, so this spell, it only works when you attack someone. Instead of your would-be victim getting fried, sociopath jester here would get punished instead, though Raven didn't tell me exactly what the punishment was, though I guess we all know the answer to that question now." Luigi nodded slowly, watching Dimentio's ears flatten. He let out a minute feline sigh, tail drooping, as he crawled back to his pile of clothes. Burrowing underneath them, he lay there, eyes gazing out at both Luigi and Luna. Luna sighed. "Dimentio, you can't just lie there forever y'know. Sooner, or later everyone else is gonna notice that you're missing. Come on, we can ask Raven about it. Oh, and that reminds me!" Luna turned back to Luigi. "You have a meeting with King Diddlesmith. He's gonna explain everything to you. Like, um, why we kidnapped you and stuff like that. So yeah, go see him afterwards." Luigi nodded, stretching as he got up. Dimentio, however, continued to lie there, staring into space. Luna sighed. "Dimentio." The cat looked up at her. "Luigi has to get changed, so unless you want to add 'pervert' to your long list of flaws, you are coming with me." The cat sat up, now staring at Luna sadly. She rolled her eyes. "Come on Dimentio, don't give me that look. You're lucky I haven't eaten you yet. Now, do you want help, or do you want to practice using those four legs of yours?" Dimentio just sat there staring at Luna with the same pained look. Luna sighed, all humour gone. "Come on then," she said gently, scooping up Dimentio in her arms. He closed his eyes, snuggling deeper into Luna's hold. Luigi watched, surprised at the tenderness and care Luna had given Dimentio. He cocked his head, confused, as the same feeling of recognition hit him, just like earlier. Just before heading out the door, she turned back, not noticing Luigi's confusion. "We'll be downstairs. Come when you're ready." She closed the door behind her, Luigi staring after. _She reminds me so much of someone. But who?_

* * *

Mario sat, watching the tracks for the train. It was late, which was no surprise really. Looking up at the sky, which was beginning to go purple with the shades of twilight, he was beginning to think that they would have to find accommodation for the night and try again in the morning, when Daisy, who was sitting next to him looking tired, suddenly snapped her head up, eyes searching the track. All fatigue had vanished from her, and she seemed as alert as a hunting dog tracking its quarry. Mario glanced at her, surprised and a little worried.

"Uh, Daisy, what-."

She cut him off, gaze still fixed on the track.

"The train's here."

Mario looked out at the track. Still dark and silent. He turned back to her, starting to get really worried.

"Um, Daisy? Are you feeling okay? 'Cause the train, um, isn't here," he replied awkwardly. Daisy sat motionless, not replying.

Mario was beginning to think that Daisy hadn't heard, when she replied, almost trancelike, "Yeah, it is, it's coming. I can hear it." She finally glanced at him, eyes seemingly glowing in the dying light of the sun. Mario shivered, suddenly having the urge to back away from her. She blinked, staring at him intently. "Can't you?" Mario shook his head, feeling bewildered. Daisy shrugged, all alertness gone. "Whatever. I think it'll be here soon anyway." Mario just stared at her, utterly lost. _Daisy never acts like this. Maybe this is some weird side-effect from her fever?_ He was about to ask her if she had really recovered when the high pitched noise of wheels screeching against metal cut through the air. Glancing at the track with disbelief, Mario watched the yellow orbs of light cut through the darkness, as the train screeched to a halt. People began to slowly make their way out of the doors. Peach came hurrying over from the vending machine she had been inspecting.

"Finally, it's here," she sighed, before glancing at both Mario and Daisy. Her brow creased as her gaze rested on her friend, who showed no emotion at the arrival of the train she had seemingly predicted. The Mushroom princess tore her gaze from Daisy to glance at Mario and he could plainly see his concern reflected there. Peach coughed awkwardly. "Um, Daisy? The train is-." Daisy cut her off.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not deaf," she snarled, getting up and stalking over to the train. She vanished inside. Mario gazed after her in shock, before looking over at Peach. The princess was gazing after Daisy, sorrow in her blue eyes.

Mario frowned.

"Um, are you sure she's completely-."

Peach nodded, avoiding Mario's gaze.

"Don't worry about it Mario. I'm sure she's just worried about Luigi. She'll be fine." She headed off, stepping into the train, Mario gazing after her worriedly, before sighing minutely as he followed her slowly. The doors shut behind him as the train pulled out of the station, heading off to Twilight Town, realm of the Night Queen. A figure stepped out of the shadows of the station, her gaze following the train from behind her glasses. She dutifully pulled out a cell phone and punched in a number. A couple of rings sounded, before a cool female voice answered,

"They have left?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. You have done well, Nastasia. You may return home now if you wish."

"I think I would like that, My Lady."

"Excellent." A click sounded, Queen Nyx hanging up. With a sigh, Nastasia put her phone down, eyes gazing out at the track, before turning away. A soft wind blew, the first stars beginning to brighten as a small purple Swooper rose and flew away, following the train's course.


	12. Revelations

**Yeah, as usual I only own Raven, Luna and Diddlesmith. Nintendo owns everything else. Also, the reason behind Nastasia's ability to transform into a Swooper is because in Super Paper Mario, there was a story called _Of Bats and Men_, which talks about a man who saved a bat caught in a trap. The bat then transformed into a woman and pledged her undying loyalty to the man that saved her. Guess who they were:P Anyways enjoy:D**

Luna closed the door behind her, cradling Dimentio with one arm. She winced as he dug his claws in, trying to steady himself. Taking him more securely with both arms, she started down the stairs leading back to the main club. Glancing down at Dimentio, she wasn't surprised to see he was still looking shocked, though at least he wasn't yowling and acting as depressed like he was before.

Sighing, she asked him, "Dimentio, how are you feeling?" He glanced up at her, ears pricking. Despite everything that had changed about him, his eyes were still the exact same colour as they had been when he was in his true form. Piercing yellow and deep purple. They blinked up at her as Dimentio cocked his head to the side and twitched his ears, considering her question. "Heh, ain't so bad is it, once you get used to it," Luna smirked. Dimentio just gazed at her with his bi-coloured eyes. Not a muscle moved. Luna stared back at him steadily. "Sorry Dimentio. But this is the way it is I guess. You honestly didn't think they would let you out with no punishment whatsoever, after everything you did?" The cat flattened his ears as he looked away. Luna didn't miss the flash of anger in his eyes. She huffed indignantly. "Well, Dimentio, I guess people like you have to learn the hard way. But, don't worry," she added more kindly. "Raven'll know what to do."

Dimentio looked up at her, and for the first time she could ever remember, there was no trace of arrogance and smugness in his eyes. Instead, there was pain, sorrow and…regret? He looked away, too quickly for Luna to realize what she had seen. Shaking it off, she stopped in front of the main door, leading to the main area of the bar. Voices murmured from the other side of the door. Dimentio meowed in misery, flattening his ears. Luna looked down at him, a small smile appearing on her face. "Dimentio? Nervous? What has the world come to?" she exclaimed with mock surprise. The black and white cat glared up at her, his lips beginning to curl in a snarl. The werewolf winked down at him, unfazed by the threat of an angry cat clinging to her arm. "Go get 'em, tiger."

* * *

The train rumbled along, the sky outside dimpled by the first stars glittering in the dark. Mario gazed out at the landscape zooming past, nearly invisible in the gathering darkness of early night. Turning away, he looked over at Peach and Daisy, sitting across from him. Peach was resting her head against the window, while Daisy was dozing, her eyes cloudy with tiredness. Mario frowned. He had begun to get more suspicious, and concerned, with Daisy's increasing irritability and exhaustion. Sure, Daisy had been a bit stubborn before, but in the last couple of days she had begun to act downright nasty, snapping at both him and Peach over nothing at all. And when she wasn't being snappy, she was looking increasingly exhausted. The dark shadows under her eyes had returned, and tonight, she was looking especially haggard. Sighing, he returned his gaze to the window, looking out at the dark landscape. The stars had come out in full force now, and he could pick out the constellations of the Star Mushroom, and Blacktail, the Great Dragon winding around the North Star, the brightest star in the sky. The moon, waning now, shone coldly, washing the land outside in cold silver light. The illumination made the outside landscape seem eerie, as if it was from another world, the twisted, bare branches of the trees only adding to the creepy and lonely atmosphere. Mario shivered, knowing that the land they travelled to was much, much different than anything he, much less Peach and probably Daisy, had ever encountered.

A sudden shadow flitted across the moon. Looking up, he realized it was a small Swooper. It hovered around the train for a bit, before disappearing back into the night with a screech. Mario was surprised; Swoopers normally never came anywhere near any light, avoiding it at all costs. Once again, he wondered how else this new land could surprise him. Looking at the time on the train ceiling, he groaned inwardly as he realized how late it was getting. He peered back out the window. _I hope we get there before it gets too late. _The announcer's voice crackled over the speakers.

"We will be stopping in Twilight Town in five minutes. Please ready your luggage, if any, and prepare to disembark." Mario sighed with relief, before glancing over at Peach and Daisy. To his amusement, they had both fallen asleep, Peach with her head resting against the train wall, while Daisy was sprawled out on the seat, taking up the whole space meant for two people. He walked over quietly, and gently shook Peach awake.

"We're here Peach. Wake up." Peach yawned widely, before rubbing her eyes with one gloved hand. She blinked them open sleepily, her gaze cloudy with drowsiness. She smiled tiredly up at Mario.

"That's great, Mario, thanks for waking me up. Could you get the bags ready, while I wake Daisy up?"

Mario smirked."Good luck with that, Princess."

Peach frowned at him."Daisy's been going through a lot lately. Please, Mario, it's nothing personal."

"Could've fooled me."

Peach sighed. "Look, we're all tired. Can we please not argue about this?"

Mario stared at her for a couple of moments, before dropping his gaze."Yeah, that was a bit uncalled for. Sorry Peach."

She smiled wearily at him."Just be glad Daisy didn't hear you." A sudden growl rumbled through the train. Looking over, both Peach and Mario stared in disbelief as Daisy slowly pushed herself up from the seat. Her eyes flashed yellow as she stared at them, her lips curling back to reveal lengthening fangs, long and dagger-sharp. Peach gasped, while Mario looked on in horror. Daisy dug her fingers into the seat, her gloves beginning to tear at the fingertips as claws grew. She dug them deep into the upholstery, leaving long, deep marks behind as she glared at them, seeming to not recognize them. Another growl rumbled through her throat, a low threatening noise that made the hair on Mario's neck stand on end.

With a jolt, the train screeched to a halt. In the same instant, Daisy leapt up from the seat, blindingly fast, and tore out the door, pushing past several bewildered passengers. With a cry, Peach leapt up to follow her, but Mario pulled her back.

Spinning her around to face him, he growled, "What's going on, Peach." He didn't make it sound like a question. Peach gulped, knowing she couldn't keep Daisy's secret any longer. She whimpered, staring down into Mario's hard gaze.

Her head drooped, and, with a sigh, Peach confessed, "Daisy is a werewolf." She looked at him, not knowing what she'd find in his gaze. To her surprise, there was no anger, only sorrow and understanding. He shook his head.

"So, that explains the temper, the exhaustion, that 'fever' she had at the Blue Moon Ball? It was a full moon that night, I remember." He looked up at Peach, knowing that it was true. She nodded, not speaking. He looked up at her, his expression unreadable. "Well, we'd better get going." Peach's gaze brightened with hope. He smiled at her. "We have to find Daisy."

* * *

Everyone fell silent as Luna stepped through the doorway, Dimentio in her arms. She looked around slowly, meeting all of their gazes. While she could tell Dimentio was trying to act nonchalant, she could feel him trembling and smell his fear, hazy and bitter. A figure broke away from the crowd and walked towards them. Luna smiled, embarrassed, as Raven prowled closer, green eyes fixed on the cat in her arms. She stopped, staring at the cat for a few moments, before shaking her head, a giggle escaping from her lips.

"Dimentio? Really?" Dimentio flattened his ears with annoyance, while Luna and Raven both tried to contain their laughter. The crowd gathered behind Raven had begun to whisper at the sight of the two girls giggling together. The whispering stopped as the crowd parted to make way for King Diddlesmith. He stopped, looking down at the two girls with concern.

"Is everything alright here? And Luna, um, what's with the cat? I thought cats hated werewolves." Luna smiled mysteriously.

"Well Diddlesmith, this is no ordinary cat. He's the master of yarn, the pleaser of crazy cat ladies the world over. I give you…Dimentio!" she announced with a flourish, holding the cat up, Lion King-style, in full view of everyone. The crowd immediately fell silent, their collective gaze fixed on Dimentio. His ears were flat against his head, eyes wide with nerves and his tail fur was beginning to fluff up. Diddlesmith was the first to break the silence.

"Um, Luna, seriously, what 's with the cat. From what I heard, Dimentio is busy trying to work a miracle and wake Luigi up." Luna nearly dropped Dimentio in indignity.

"Hey, I'm not lying Diddlesmith. Seriously, this is Dimentio," she protested. "We, uh, sorta got into…a little scrap, and when he tried to attack me with one of his glowing confetti balls, this bright as flash filled the room, and we found him hiding under the bed, trembling in a pile of his own clothes," she finished. The audience was staring at them, eyes wide, as they processed Luna's story. Diddlesmith cocked his head to the side, his gaze unimpressed.

"Uh-huh, cool story bro, now for the last time, what's. With. The. Cat," he snarled, purple smoke beginning to waft from his jaws. Luna took a cautious step back, Dimentio, fur fluffed out, trembling in her arms. Raven glanced at Diddlesmith in worry, before clearing her throat.

"Um, King Diddlesmith? Luna isn't lying." The King glanced at her, confusion beginning to enter his gaze.

"Whaddaya mean?" Raven glanced at the werewolf and the cat, before locking her gaze with her godfather's.

"I'm sorry. I didn't explain fully the effects of the curse my mother and aunt put on Dimentio. But it was a precaution to protect both him and us. We didn't want anyone else knowing the exact way it worked, as the first time it occurred, Dimentio wasn't conscious, so he wouldn't be aware of it. And secondly, this type of punishment is a very ancient one, wrapped in secrecy and only used to punish the greatest wrongdoers. Or the ones most likely to 'repeat offend," she explained, making quotation marks with her fingers. "Mother and Jaydes didn't want this type of spell becoming common knowledge, as it may fall into the wrong hands. So, the first time it was worked, when Dimentio first arrived in the Underwhere, they only performed it when he was unconscious, after the ritual torture and punishment reserved for the greatest criminals. Any witnesses, including me, were sworn to secrecy about its exact effects, under the punishment of death. We were not allowed to explain it until Dimentio experiences the pain and disorientation of forced transformation, and the resulting strip of all his magical abilities, for the first time." She glanced soberly at the cat sitting in Luna's arms, ears pricked as he listened.

Shaking her head, she continued, her audience held spellbound by the tale. "So, now that it's happened, I am free to explain how it exactly works. Because of Dimentio's…history, any time he tries to harm anyone, in any way, the power of his attack will rebound on him with three times the power, in addition to forcing him to transform into a cat, with his magical abilities being stripped. He will remain in this state for at least three days, and, if he's behaved himself, he will resume his true form at the end of this period, all of his powers returned to him, as if nothing ever happened," she finished. There was complete silence as the vampire finished her story. Diddlesmith, Luna, and the rest of the club were either staring at her or Dimentio with wide-eyed astonishment. Diddlesmith coughed awkwardly.

"Well, I, uh, guess I owe Luna an apology for thinking she was lying," he murmured awkwardly.

Luna shrugged. "Really, it's no big deal, Diddlesmith. Apology accepted." He nodded, before turning to Raven.

"So, what should we do with him now?" Raven shrugged.

"He's going to be like this for three days. The most he could do to hurt anyone is scratch them, like all cats do. And when he returns to his true form, like I said, he won't be able to harm anyone because his own attack will just effectively hurt him. A lot. So he's about as harmless as it gets now." Diddlesmith nodded.

"Well, then, he's going to need someone to take care of him. Raven, since you know the effects of the spell better than anyone else here, could you do that?" She nodded. "Good. And Luna, I forgot to ask, is Luigi awake?" Before Luna could answer, a quiet voice spoke.

"Um, you wanted to talk to me, King Diddlesmith?" Luigi stood awkwardly in the doorway, dressed and looking refreshed in his usual attire. Luna smiled at him encouragingly, while the Koopa waltzed over, looking down at him. He smiled.

"Yes, Luigi. Come on. We have much to discuss," he said with a grin, white teeth flashing. Luigi smiled nervously, while Luna and Raven both smiled fiercely at him, doing nothing to calm his strained nerves.


	13. Daisy Unleashed

**Yay, 13, the best number:D Yeah as usual I own Raven, Luna and Diddlesmith. Faian is owned by Weretiger Princess and Nintendo owns everyone else. Please review:)**

It was completely dark as Mario and Peach hurriedly rushed out of the inn they were staying at in pursuit of Daisy. They had only popped in for a few seconds to drop off their bags, rushing out again to find the flower princess before she or anyone else got into more trouble. Their innkeeper had enquired about their situation, and when they explained it to him, he had helpfully pointed out a nearby forest that was a favourite haunt of the local werewolves.

"The werewolves around here love it there. If you're missing a werewolf, they're most likely going to be there. Heaps of deer herds just begging to be culled, what's they tell me. Be careful though, 'cause some of thems are a bit…territorial," he had warned them. Thanking the innkeeper, they had ventured out into the deep forest in search of Daisy. They had been walking for about ten minutes, when Peach had noticed something in the nearby bushes flash in the light of the torch.

"Mario, look." He turned, shining the flashlight on the object. It was Daisy's crown. Peach rushed to it and picked it up. Clutching it, she turned back to Mario, a worried and scared expression on her face. "Mario…," she whispered, trailing off.

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Peach, don't worry. We'll find her, and we'll help her get through this." Gazing into the trees, he said to Peach, "She could probably still be around here somewhere. But Peach…I don't know what we'll do when we find her. If she's…changed, then…," he let the words trail off.

Peach, wiping away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes, nodded determinedly.

"Don't worry Mario. I-We'll both be careful."

He nodded. "Well then, let's look around here then." They both scoured the nearby bushes, when Mario happened across what looked like a scrap of yellow fabric. Peach, coming up next to him, confirmed it was indeed from Daisy's dress. A few more minutes, and Mario had found what looked like a trail of shredded fabric, orange and yellow. Exchanging a worried glance with Peach, the plumber and the princess followed the trail, which eventually led to a clearing. It seemed empty. Peach peered out worriedly.

"It seems emp-," she was cut off as a shadow burst out of the surrounding bushes, knocking her over. With a cry, Mario ran at the thing as it reared up, Peach screaming beneath its weight. He smacked it on the shoulder with the flashlight, the only weapon he had. The creature whipped around, snarling, and Mario froze as he realized it was a large wolf. Its teeth gleamed in the moonlight from the waning moon, and its yellow eyes were narrowed in hatred. Its fur was an unusual dark orangey brown, and Mario's eyes widened as he realized who it was.

"Daisy?" he whispered, not wanting to believe it. The wolf paid no attention to the name as it hunkered down, hackles up, ready to spring at him. He readied his flashlight. Daisy or not, the thing was raging to kill, and he had to defend himself. Raising his flashlight, he crouched down as the wolf leapt, claws out, cavernous jaws open. Knocking him over, Mario rolled with it, blocking its snapping jaws. He growled with pain as its claws tore through his shirt. He dodged its teeth as it snapped for his throat, blocking it with the flashlight. It splintered in its jaws as the wolf crushed it, tossing it away. Mario gulped, terrified as the wolf stared him straight in the eyes. "Daisy, Daisy, please don't do this. It's me. It's Mario. Remember?" he whispered. The wolf snarled, claws digging in harder. He groaned with pain as the wolf's jaws inched closer, yellow eyes blazing with bloodlust.

Just when he thought all was lost and it was the end, a vicious screech split the night. The wolf snapped its head up just as a small black shape swooped it, slashing its ear. The wolf howled with pain, letting go of Mario as it whirled to face the new threat. Scrambling to his feet, he realized that it was a small Swooper, and it was busily flitting around the wolf's head, infuriating it as it snapped and missed. Slashing its ear again, it flew upwards and glided down, coming to a rest near Peach, who was sitting on the ground, eyes wide with shock. With a small 'poof', the Swooper transformed into…

"Nastasia?" Mario exclaimed with disbelief. Nastasia didn't reply, instead adjusting her glasses and wrapping the wolf with red ropes of energy.

She stared at it emotionlessly, then spoke. "So…Daisy is it? Yeah, you might want to stop attacking your friends. Um, from what I've heard, attacking friends isn't that great for furthering your relationship. Just change back and be good little pup." The wolf, who was lying on the ground wrapped up in Nastasia's hypnosis rays, whimpered with pain, its head collapsing on the ground. Then slowly, surely, the fur receded to reveal smooth light skin, the claws retracting into fingernails as the wolf transformed into the princess of Sarasaland. She lay there, seemingly unconscious. Nastasia, her work done, readjusted her glasses, the red hypnosis rays vanishing. Looking at Peach and Mario, showing no emotion at all, she said, "You've come to see the Night Queen, haven't you?" Mario and Peach exchanged glances, then nodded slowly. Nastasia nodded briskly, scribbling something down on her clipboard. "Good. Your appointment is 5:00 p.m tomorrow. Don't be late. Queen Nyx is a busy woman." And with that, she vanished, leaving Peach and Mario in the clearing, perplexed.

* * *

Luigi looked around as Diddlesmith led the way through another unfamiliar corridor. Luna and Raven were walking behind him, Dimentio trotting at Raven's heels, looking disgruntled. They halted as Diddlesmith stopped in front of an opulently decorated door. Dragons, Koopas and large, bat-like creatures Luigi couldn't identify writhed among clouds and waves, flames pouring from their gaping jaws. The Koopa pushed it open, revealing a huge throne room, stained glass windows depicting more of the creatures on the door. Diddlesmith walked up to the large gold throne dominating the room and settled himself into it, red eyes raking the four gathered before him. He rested his head on his hand, gazing at Luigi thoughtfully.

"So, Luigi, you're probably wondering why we crashed your party and kidnapped you." Luigi paused, then nodded slowly. Diddlesmith looked unusually sombre. "The truth is…," he paused, Luigi leaning forward in anticipation. "We needed more pole dancers. Dimentio wasn't cutting it by himself." Luigi blinked, dumbfounded. Dimentio huffed angrily, while Raven and Luna looked at Diddlesmith, blinking. Luigi' expression changed to one of confusion.

"Um. You're joking, right?" Diddlesmith burst out laughing. Luigi sighed, feeling more relieved than he liked. Raven sighed in exasperation, while Luna facepalmed. Dimentio blinked, still looked unimpressed. Smiling now, Diddlesmith shook his head.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm just messing with ya. But, the reason we kidnapped you is that we needed a new card dealer. Y'see, the Mardi Gras festival is in a couple of weeks, and that's the time of the year when all the tourists flood this area. So, yeah, we need a card dealer, to impress them and…deal…cards, I guess. And we heard you're a really good one," he finished with an embarrassed smile.

Luigi stood, dumbstruck.

"Um, why couldn't you just ask me, if that's all you wanted?"

Luna stepped forward to answer.

"'Cause we were afraid you'd refuse."

Diddlesmith nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and also, can you imagine this," he gestured to himself, "getting anywhere near Peach's Castle? They'd shoot me and turn my shell into a bathtub. A nice big one." He looked thoughtful. "Though I guess my shell would look nice in an opulent bathroom. As long as they waxed it and cleaned it nicely," he began murmuring to himself. Raven coughed. Diddlesmith snapped out of it. "Oh yeah, so, would you do it?" Luigi stood staring at him, before looking back at Luna. She gave an encouraging smile, her eyes glittering with amusement. He gulped, before turning back and nodding.

"Okay. I'll do it."

The Koopa and the girls erupted into cheers.

"Oh, thank you Luigi! Seriously, we owe you one."

Luigi smiled, embarrassed.

"Heh heh, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, so Faian's got all your stuff, and your shift starts tonight. Take it easy, just get used to the place, alright?" He beamed down at Luigi. The green plumber nodded, standing there.

Luna coughed.

"Um, you know you can go now, right?" Luigi blinked twice, before running back out the door, not looking back. Luna gazed after him, a smile on her face. Raven looked faintly amused.

"He's a bit different, isn't he?" she murmured.

Luna smirked.

"Just a tad."

Raven's eyes narrowed in knowing amusement.

"Is he_ too_ different for your tastes?"

Luna whipped around, blinking in surprise.

"What?"

Raven's mischievous smile widened.

"And here you were accusing _me_ of shacking up with him."

"Hell no Raven, why would I interested in _him?_" the werewolf retorted.

The vampire smirked in a teasing manner.

"Beats me. Why don't you enlighten me?"

Luna growled playfully.

"You don't need enlightening."

"And why is that?"

Luna smirked.

"'Cause you're a vamp, so therefore you've probably had all the time in the world to shack up with everyone here." Luna grinned as Raven's eyes widened, before glancing meaningfully at Dimentio sitting near Raven's feet. She narrowed her eyes in mischief. "Probably multiple times with some people. So shouldn't _you_ be the one enlightening _me_?" At this, Dimentio hissed furiously, while the vampire princess stammered, unable to think of anything to say in reply. The werewolf's grin widened. "So it's true?" Raven, having recovered from her mind blank, stared at Luna calmly.

"No Luna. Whatever you have heard about Dimentio and I is false. Nothing more than pure rumour," she replied icily, back in cold-hearted royal mode. Luna turned away, a knowing smile on her face.

"Of course, My Lady. Forgive my cheek."

Raven smiled.

"Well, that's new," she murmured, her iciness melting.

Throughout this all, King Diddlesmith was watching the two girls spar with each other. At the end, he smiled.

"You two are probably the weirdest assassin pair I've ever hired. And that's saying something," he said. Luna tossed her hair haughtily.

"And probably the prettiest as well," she smirked. Diddlesmith sighed.

"And the most narcissistic. But that's enough of that. Raven, Luna, the real reason I called all of you up today is that Queen Nyx just notified me that Luigi's little friends are causing a bit of a rumble in her kingdom, so she just warned me that if they get past her, they'll probably come straight here. So, I just wanted to ask both of you if you'd rather stay here, or go scout them out and help Nyx." Raven's eyes glittered, while Luna had a look of fierce concentration on her face.

"Of course I'll go. Luna's with me, right?" Raven growled, all earlier banter forgotten.

Luna nodded in agreement, her eyes starting to glow amber.

"Of course Raven. In this together, from beginning to the end," she grinned, a smile full of savage teeth. Raven smiled back, her fangs lengthening, before turning back to the Koopa.

"When do we leave?"

Diddlesmith smiled.

"Now, if you want. But, I have some suggestions about this little mission. Raven, you can't be seen in your true form, 'cause Mario will recognize you. And also, Luna, it may interest you to know that Princess Daisy of Sarasaland has apparently been…turned, if you know what I mean."

Luna stood stock-still, eyes wide.

"Whoa. I mean…just. Wow. Um, do you know how that…happened?"

Diddlesmith shrugged.

"I'd assume that she got bit. But yeah, I just wanted to tell you. Avoid surprises. Though I doubt she'll be much of a threat to you, considering she's a pup."

Luna nodded, eyes gleaming.

"Thanks Diddlesmith. But I'll still go, if it's for Raven. And you can never be too careful."

Diddlesmith grinned.

"I'd knew you'd say that. But if you want, you can take Faian with you for back-up. And also, on the subject of cats, take Dimentio too. He'll be happier with Raven and his old castle rather than moping around here. And take his clothes, 'cause I don't know how long you're both going to be away for." Raven nodded, smiling cheekily down at the cat, who was gazing at Diddlesmith disinterestedly.

"Hear that Dimples? You get to see your old court again! I know Nastasia's probably missing you HEAPS." Dimentio glared up at her, claws sliding out. Never before had a cat looked so dangerous.

Diddlesmith sighed. "Jeez, Raven, I never knew you could be so bitchy. No wonder your mother's always sending you to me. Half the maids probably have self-esteem issues 'cause of you." Raven smiled, her fangs gleaming.

"No, Diddlesmith I ask to come, just to see my dear godfather." The Koopa waved a hand lazily.

"Well, guess what. You godfather loves you so much, he's sending you back to where you came from. There. There's my familial love right there. Get going you three. I expect you all gone by nightfall." As he got up to leave, he felt something tap him on the shell. Turning, he saw Luna, an unusual look of concern on her face. Dimentio and Raven had already gone, it seemed.

"Um. What are you going to tell Luigi?"

Diddlesmith waved a hand through the air.

"Don't worry 'bout him Luna. He's my problem now. Just run along and be a good little pup."

Luna glared at him as she prowled out the door. Before leaving, she gazed at him, eyes glowing amber.

"I'd be careful Diddlesmith. He's a strong one," she warned, before vanishing out the door.


	14. Peach's Story

**Yeah, all characters belong to their respective owners blah blah blah, we all know the drill. Enjoy:D**

Grey clouds darkened the sky as a lone black raven soared above the rooftops of Twilight Town. Mario watched it lazily circle above before flying away with a distant caw. He sighed, dragging his gaze away from the window. The raven had brought back memories of Luigi, as the last time he had seen one, his twin was the one to point it out. Mario missed him terribly and he spent most of his time wondering where he was, and if he was okay. But part of him was glad he wasn't here, to see what was happening to Daisy. She was still asleep, ever since he and Peach had brought her back from her little escapade. Peach had gone to bed shortly after, the shock of the night's events and Nastasia's appearance beginning to take their toll. Mario had volunteered to keep watch over Daisy, and to notify Peach if anything changed. He looked down at the bed she lay on, sorrow entering his heart as he took in her haggard appearance. Her hair was shaggier than before, out of its usually neat arrangement, and even in sleep, she still looked exhausted. Her skin was very pale, and there was a faint sheen of sweat covering it. Mario winced as he moved over to sit in the armchair beside the bed, the pain of the scratches he had received in the fight still raw and sharp. He sighed, remembering the conversation he and Peach had had after returning with Daisy.

"_How did this happen?" Peach gazed at him, a terrible sadness in her beautiful eyes. They closed as she began to speak._

"_3, nearly 4 weeks ago. Remember that shopping trip Daisy and I went on to Coconut Mall?" _

"_Yeah."_

"_Well, we started back home a bit late. We were going to take a taxi, but since the castle is so close, we decided we might as well walk. And the quickest way back home is that back way through the Shroom Forest. So, we were walking, when suddenly, this…thing came charging out of the forest. I didn't realize what it was, it was so dark, but Daisy, when she came to, she told me…," Peach trailed off. Mario, who had been listening in wide-eyed amazement, finished her sentence. _

"_Wolf. It was a wolf wasn't it." She nodded, continuing her story._

"_Yes. It came out of the forest and attacked Daisy. I screamed and managed to beat it away with my shopping bags, and when I reached Daisy, she was on the ground, still with shock. It was then I saw it. The bite. There was s-so much blood, I-I th-thought…" Peach's voice had begun to shake, her eyes blank with horror. At this point, Mario had taken her hand, and squeezed it gently._

"_But she didn't die, Peach." Peach shook her head, coming back to the present. _

"_No, but that was the strange thing. A couple of minutes after it happened, she had started walking again. Said we had to get home. But, she shouldn't have, she had nearly gotten her throat torn out for crying out loud. No-one should've been able to do that, not after an attack like that. So, when we got home, I insisted the doctors take a look at her. Her dress was still stained red from the blood. But she refused, and you know what Daisy's like. She even showed me where the beast had bitten her, and that's when…_I knew that couldn't have been an ordinary wolf_," her voice had dropped to a whisper by this point. Mario shuddered._

"_What happened?" he asked, though he was already dreading the answer. Peach gazed at him, her eyes wide with horror. She gulped._

"_It had healed. Just a couple of shiny scars, as if she'd been bitten weeks, not minutes ago. At that point, I thought I imagined the whole thing. But, the blood was still there, just drying, none of it fresh. And Daisy, she just looked at me as if it was normal and said 'You worry too much Peach.' I was too shocked and confused to say anything back. But, before she went to get ready for dinner, she just asked, no, begged, me not to tell anyone. I was nearly starting to get hysterical by then, but she just pleaded, 'Look Peach, it's healed. Seriously, that's what matters, right? No-one has to know. I'll be fine.'" Peach shook her head. _

"_I just agreed because I was happy that she was going to be okay, really. But…I began to wonder. And I did some research of my own, if only to calm my suspicions. Wolves, after all, aren't native to the Mushroom Kingdom. But, what I found…,"Peach had begun to shake again. Mario started towards her, but she shook him off. _

"_I found some old tales about curses, especially one called, 'Selene's Fury', that seemed especially relevant. But, I dismissed them, thinking it was impossible. That is, until Daisy came to me a couple of days later. She had been having nightmares, not surprisingly. Anyone would have nightmares after an attack like that. But that wasn't the only thing. Her senses were…changing. She said everything was too loud, she could see things she couldn't see before and the sense of smell…," Peach trailed off again, blinking a couple of times, before continuing, "She said was unbelievable. She could smell what people had eaten, even emotions like fear and sadness. And she was getting increasingly irritable. She just got angry over the smallest things." Peach shook her head sadly. _"_And then she got into a fight with Luigi over what had happened. He could probably tell something wasn't completely right, and he just kept pestering her about it until she snapped." _

_Mario, who had been listening intently, sat up straighter. _

"_Luigi told me about that. That's why he was so worried at the Ball, so I told him to just blow off some steam and talk to someone else, 'cause he thought him and Daisy were over. And he was completely depressed about it too. I don't even think that his kidnapper, pretty as she was, managed to distract him from Daisy." _

_Peach nodded wearily. _

"_So then, after Daisy told me what was happening to her, we did some research together, and we realized." Peach looked up, her eyes swimming with emotion. She gave a shuddering sigh. "We realized Daisy was becoming a werewolf. She was showing all the signs, and we knew that werewolves existed, they were just really rare and almost unheard of in our part of the world. We didn't want to believe it but...how else do you explain what was happening?" Peach whispered. Mario pulled her into a hug as she began to shake. She pulled away, though her hand still lingered on his. She took another deep breath, continuing her horrific story._

"_So then, the full moon came. On the night of the Blue Moon Festival, Daisy volunteered to stay in one of the old castle rooms, you know, the ones that used to be um…dungeons?" Mario nodded. She sighed sadly. _"_So then I left her. She wanted privacy and she was getting really agitated the closer it got to sundown. She pretty much yelled at me to go away. But, I was used to it by then. So I went and saw you at the Ball, and then Luigi got kidnapped and there was a wolf and, oh Grambi, Mario, I thought it was her! I thought she'd become a monster, and I was almost willing to-to" Her voice rose to a cry of despair. Mario held her close, and this time, she didn't push him away as she sobbed into his shoulder. He stroked her hair gently, waiting patiently as she calmed down. She sniffled, rubbing her eyes, before continuing with a shuddering breath. _

"_So, then, that's what happened. The rest, you already know…"_

Mario shook himself, coming out of his reverie, as Peach walked quietly into the room. She gave a sad smile, gaze drifting over Daisy's shape sprawled on the bed, moving up and down quietly as she breathed.

"No change?"

"No." Peach sighed as she sat down next to Mario on the couch. They both gazed sombrely at the exhausted princess, waiting and watching for her to wake up.

* * *

Luna lounged in the shelter of one of the bushes that dotted the edge of the clearing, resting against Faian's warm flank. Dimentio was curled up on Faian's flank, twitching occasionally in his sleep. Luna wondered absentmindedly what he was dreaming about. _Mice and cream, perhaps? _she thought mischievously. She was bored. The others may be content to sleep the day away, but the wolf was brimming with pent up energy. And she was beginning to feel a bit hungry. They had arrived early in the morning, Raven teleporting her, Dimentio and Faian to the woods surrounding Twilight Town. After resting, and checking out the area to make sure there weren't any surprises waiting for them, Raven had taken flight earlier in the morning, heading towards the castle, and her home, to speak with her mother. She had said she'd be back before nightfall, though how the locals could tell whether it was night or day here still mystified Luna. She yawned, stretching, and shook out her coat, before raising her muzzle to sniff the air hopefully for deer. Nothing, not even a stray scent. With a sigh, she flopped down again. _Geez, I thought this forest was meant to be crawling with deer. Now, when I actually feel hungry, they conveniently vanish._ Her ears pricked as she caught a scent, not deer, but one that she had been hoping never to smell again. She growled._ Great, other werewolves. Just what I needed. Humph, maybe that's where all the deer went. _Something smelled different about this werewolf though, something young and…familiar? She sat up on her haunches, sniffing harder, before tracking around the clearing, trying to pick up where the scent was coming from. Her ears pricked as she found a distinct trail, though it was stale, probably from last night. She glanced over at the bush, where Faian and Dimentio were still curled up. Faian had begun to purr, the noise rumbling through the ground like a miniature earthquake. Luna randomly began to wonder what Dimentio would do if Faian rolled over and crushed him in his sleep. _Oh, I know what I'd_ _do, _she smiled to herself inside. Making up her mind, she turned in the direction the scent was coming from, focusing on the task at hand. _Heh, if they worry they can always just follow MY trail._ Besides, this werewolf had intrigued her, and she was bored hanging around in the clearing. Quietly, careful not to make any noise, she followed the trail out of the clearing, into the surrounding forest.

* * *

Raven circled high above, her sharp eyes catching sight of Mario standing in an inn window far below. He turned away, though she didn't miss the sadness in his gaze. Again, she tried to ignore the feelings of guilt creeping through her, making her skin prickle underneath her feathers. Her mother had always taught her that emotions felt on another's behalf weren't fit for vampires, especially not vampires belonging to the royal family. _They only ever blind you from the more important things in life, _she had always said, though what those important things were, Raven had never cared to know. Already, her mother was worried that she would be unfit to rule the kingdom after her, stating that she was too easily distracted and worried about what others were feeling. _The only time that you should care about someone else's feelings is if they are to be of any use in achieving your ambitions. Nothing else matters, my dear daughter._ She shook herself, shaking off the cobwebs of her memories. The tall, familiar spires of her castle were already coming into view, and she let out a piercing caw as she dived towards her childhood home.

**Yeah, please rate and review:D All support appreciated:)**


	15. A Taste For Humans

**Yeah, like, 2 new updates in how many days? It's official. I have no life. But guess what, I'm having so much fun writing this that I don't care my social life is dying slowly:D So you should all appreciate the effort;) Anyways, yeah legal stuff, I only own all the characters Nintendo doesn't own, apart from Garfield, who is owned by whoever owns him, and Faian. Enjoy:D**

Luna trotted through the forest, nose down as she followed the strange werewolf's scent trail through the undergrowth. She continued like this for around five more minutes, before she came across something strange. A piece of shredded fabric, bright yellow and smelling faintly of daisies, which she _definitely_ knew weren't native.

She stopped, ears flicking uncertainly. _Hmm, now what do we have here? _She sniffed it, flicking her ears as she recognized the same scent she was tracking, only this time it was mixed up with…_humans?_ She sat up on her haunches. The scent was definitely familiar. She recognized it from a long time ago, she was sure of it, but she couldn't quite pin it down. The memory fluttered out of reach like an annoying fly. Shaking her head, she focussed on her search.

_The sooner I find out who it is, the sooner I can get this stupid déjà vu over with, the sooner I can get on with my life._ She found the scent trail again and followed, picking up the pace. However, she had not gone far when she sensed something following her. She halted, ears pricked, hackles starting to bristle as she glared out at the surrounding forest. Thoughts of strange monsters crowded her mind, as she realized how unfamiliar the woods looked. Suddenly, a huge shape loomed out of the undergrowth. Luna, already edgy, snarled and attacked, slashing with claws and teeth. The creature roared in surprise, whipping around, claws flashing as it lashed out at her. With a startled yelp, Luna let go, ears flattened with embarrassment as she realized who it was. The creature stared back, ears flat, blue eyes wide with surprise. Luna whimpered, flattening herself to the ground.

"Uh, hey Faian," she mumbled, paws covering her muzzle. The huge white tiger continued to stare at her.

"Uh, Luna, did I do something to you in a past life? Is that the reason that you attack me every time you see me?"

"Hey, you attacked me last time," she protested, sitting straight up. Faian rolled his eyes, before letting out a small sigh.

"Fine, then we're even." Luna, getting over her shock, trotted up to him, ears flicking mischievously. Faian continued to stare at her, tail flicking in uncertainty, as Luna brushed against him, rubbing her muzzle against his side.

"Oh, but Faian, we are never even," she growled quietly, before giving a quick lick to his ear. The tiger shook his head, a faint growl rumbling in his throat.

"So Luna, apart from attacking me, what are you doing?" Luna looked down at her paws, avoiding Faian's piercing gaze

"Looking."

"For what?"

"Food."

"Stop lying Luna."

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

"Well, for one thing, I haven't smelt anything remotely edible in this place, and secondly, you're not even following a prey's scent trail. Unless," the tiger suddenly looked very serious. Luna flicked her ears, a smirk on her face.

"Unless what?"

"Then the rumours are true?"

"What rumours?" Now it was Luna's turn to look confused. Faian snarled.

"You have a taste for humans!"

"What? No!" The tiger leapt at her, pinning her down. Luna struggled underneath his weight, a snarl ripping out of her throat. "Let me up Faian, or I swear to Grambi-," she stopped as she realized Faian was laughing, a coughing growling noise that sounded like a cat coughing up a furball.

"Aw, Luna, you're so easy to scare." He got off her, shaking his head as Luna growled, glaring at him. He turned away. Luna dashed up behind him and leapt, landing squarely on his broad shoulders. Faian growled playfully, rolling over as Luna clung on, nipping playfully at his ear. They scuffled together in the dirt, laughing, as they rolled over, nipping each other playfully. Eventually, Faian overpowered Luna, lying on top of her, as Luna squirmed beneath him. "Had enough, Fido?"

She growled playfully.

"Never, Kitty." Faian licked her ear gently, a purr rumbling in his throat.

"Why don't you tell me what you were really doing, then?" Luna blinked. She had completely forgotten about the scent she was tracking. She growled, her playfullness vanishing.

"Well, maybe I can tell you if you get off of me, Garfield." Faian got up, ears flattened, pretending to look hurt. Luna flicked her ears uncertainly, unsure of what to tell Faian. "Well, um, I…found a werewolf's trail and, I…decided to follow it." Faian cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

"But, Luna, you hate other werewolves." Luna shook her head. Her wolf instincts were crowding her head, telling her to follow the trail, making it hard for her to think.

"Yeah, well, this one smells…different." Faian looked worried.

"Are you sure? You don't think it's the one that, um…," he trailed off. Luna, realizing what he was hinting at, shook her head vigorously.

"Oh no, it's definitely not that one. I took care of him…a while back," she growled, in a tone that invited no further questions.

Faian blinked.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Luna shrugged.

"Do whatever you want. Depends on whether Dimentio wants to come. Where is he anyway?"

Faian grinned, showing wickedly long canines.

"Still sleeping."

Luna's ears pricked in amusement.

"He's really getting in touch with his inner cat, isn't he?"

Faian nodded.

"Yeah, it was getting quite intense, so I thought I should leave him to it."

Luna laughed.

"Well, maybe I should go on, and you should get back and make sure he hasn't tried to take over the Ant Kingdom in his sleep. I heard Queen Ant is quite a fighter. He might hurt himself," she growled with mock concern.

Faian smirked.

"Okay then, Your Majesty." Luna stiffened, her hackles rising. Faian stared at her. "Something wrong?" Luna shook her head, trying to smooth down her bristling fur.

"No, I just don't…like being called that."

"Oh sorry," Faian looked at her guiltily. Luna shook her head, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Don't worry about it."

The tiger nodded. "Do you know when you're coming back?"

Luna shrugged. "As soon as I find out what's behind this scent."

Faian sighed. "Do I need to remind you to be careful?"

Luna grinned. "I'm always careful, Kitty." And with that, she dashed off, back on the trail, leaving Faian to stare after her, slightly bewildered.

* * *

Luigi gazed around the bar, trying to feel comfortable. He had been standing at the blackjack tables for about an hour now, and despite King Diddlesmith's promises of 'massively awesome crowds', only one person had turned up, and Luigi was pretty sure that he was drunk, and hadn't even meant to come to play blackjack. He had left after about 5 minutes, right in the middle of the game, in pursuit of more vodka. Luigi sighed, leaning against the table, watching the numerous party goers filing into the Inferno, leaving the more shady characters hanging around the bar, getting drunk. He could already see Ash staggering around the bar, yelling at the other patrons and getting into little scraps, while Paul had passed out, lying on the floor with his long tongue hanging out.

This was, by far, the strangest sight Luigi had seen for a long time. _Hmm, I didn't even know it was possible for a Boo to drink, let alone pass out._ Once again, he found himself wondering how people like Raven, Luna and Dimentio wound up in a place like this. A sudden mental image of a horribly drunk Dimentio flashed into his mind, and Luigi shuddered, shaking his head to clear it. He looked around the bar again, spotting the strange sight of Ash apparently trying to hit on a tall pot plant. Luigi began to wonder if he was high as well.

He sighed, closing his eyes. _Speaking of which, I haven't seen Raven or Luna around for a while. _He blinked them open, blocking out the sound of loud yells and breaking glass. He glanced over at the side door leading to the hotel and Diddlesmith's court room. _Maybe I should tell Diddlesmith?_ He thought to himself. Despite Raven's assurances that Dimentio and her were harmless, he still didn't trust either of them, and besides, as hard as it was to admit it, he missed Luna's company. That strange feeling of déjà vu every time he saw her got stronger each time, and she was the only one here whom he felt truly comfortable with. Glancing back at the bar, where no-one was paying the slightest attention to him, he made up his mind and snuck quietly out through the door. Glancing around the deserted corridor, he walked quickly in the direction of the lifts that went up to Diddlesmith's court room. As soon as he reached it, Diddlesmith himself came traipsing out, stopping short as he caught sight of Luigi.

He blinked.

"Well, Luigi, is there a problem?"

Luigi began to shake his head, before stopping, blinking up at the Koopa.

"Um, not really, it's just, um…I was wondering where Luna and Raven went. I haven't seen them for a while, and, yeah, I was just…wondering," he finished lamely. King Diddlesmith blinked, before breaking out into a wide smile.

"Oh, I see! You're worried about them, aren't you?"

Luigi nodded tentatively. The Koopa grinned.

"Well, don't you go worrying your handsome little head 'bout them, alright? Raven just returned to her mother's for some political issues that needed ironing out and Luna wanted to go with her. And they took Dimentio 'cause Raven's, like, the only one that can cheer him up. If that's possible." He grinned to himself. Luigi's expression cleared.

"So…they're OK?"

"Yeah, of course! It's her mother! And it's not like they've marched into the middle of a civil war. Just a little situation, they'll probably be back by tomorrow, or the day after at the latest." The Koopa beamed down at Luigi, before ruffling his hair affectionately. Luigi shook him off. Diddlesmith smiled.

"So run along and get back to your post. I don't wanna fire you on your first day after all that effort it took to get you, do I?" He waggled a clawed finger in Luigi's face, speaking in a happy, yet slightly sinister voice. Luigi blinked twice.

"Um, yeah." He turned away, returning to the bar.

"Oh, and Luigi?" He turned around. King Diddlesmith's red eyes gleamed eerily in the shadows. "As soon as this damn festival's over, I'll escort you back to the Mushroom Kingdom myself, with all abject apologies to Peach and Mario and whoever else wants to sue my ass. And in order to get you back in one piece, I'd start by turning my attention away from Luna." Luigi blushed, realizing what the Koopa was hinting at.

"No, I'm not worried about her in that…kind of way." Diddlesmith nodded, eyes glittering with amusement.

"Of course. But I'm just looking out for you, y'know? I'd hate to see you get hurt, 'cause Luna ain't a scared lil' princess like your Peach and Daisy. She'll take your little heart and tear it to pieces, slowly and methodically, while you watch, completely helpless, all because you didn't listen to me. And that would be very tragic." And with that, the Koopa vanished through another side door. Luigi blinked, before returning to the bar, uneasiness shivering down his spine.

He shook his head. _Luna hasn't done anything horrible to me. Quite the opposite, in fact. But, _he thought hesitantly, remembering the ferocious black wolf snarling at him, bloodlust in her eyes. _Maybe I _should _listen to King Diddlesmith's warning. I'll just be careful. And, maybe, hopefully, both of them will come back soon._ He raised his head to gaze out one of the windows lining the corridor. A bright half-moon shone, bathing Luigi in silver light. He sighed. _And maybe I can see Mario and the others again._


	16. Misadventures in Twilight Town

**Yo It's been a while, so to make up for my long awaited return (not):D I made this chapter slightly longer. Ha ha ha. Yeah, Nintendo owns all characters except for the ones owned by me, you should know them 'cos I'm too lazy to list them all;) Enjoy!**

A black blur shot through the open window of the Night Palace. Nastasia looked up from where she sat opposite, clipboard balancing on her crossed legs. She turned away disinterestedly, looking down as she scrawled on her clipboard.

"Good morning, My Lady Raven," she greeted the princess as she materialized in her true form. Raven shook out her long black hair, closing her eyes as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned, cat-like.

"Good to see you too, Nastasia. How is everyone?" Nastasia continued writing, not even bothering to look up.

"They are all well, My Lady." Raven nodded absentmindedly, eyes still closed as she ran a hand through her hair tiredly.

"Is the Queen in court today?" Nastasia looked up, gazing at Raven through her glasses. The vampire gazed back steadily, green eyes giving nothing away. She nodded slowly.

"Yes, she is. Attending to that little disturbance, no doubt the real reason behind your 'familial' visit," Nastasia replied dryly. Raven smiled, a smile full of menace.  
"Oh, dear Nastasia, you know me too well. But something as small as me turning up in Twilight Town for a rare visit is nothing worth notifying the citizens about. I expect I'll be out of here by nightfall anyway. Right after a nice mother-daughter chat with the Queen." A growl edged Raven's cool tone. Nastasia smiled, standing up slowly. She adjusted her glasses, gazing up at Raven.

"I never saw you here today. Good luck Raven," she whispered, before vanishing.

* * *

Mario was snoring loudly in the couch next to Daisy's bed, the noise digging into Peach's ears. She gazed at him, too tired to do anything about it. She was more concerned about Daisy anyway. It had been a whole day since the incident in the woods and Daisy was still showing no signs of waking up. Their innkeeper, whose son was a werewolf it turned out, had come up earlier in the day, asking, with a large amount of concern, if everything was alright. Peach and Mario had decided he had a right to know, since it was his inn they were staying at, and besides, he had let them in at an ungodly hour that night, or early day, carrying the unconscious princess, but the man had already figured it out. Werewolves, he had explained, were quite common around Twilight Town, as it was one of their last strongholds where they could live without fear of persecution by angry locals, because, well, the locals were monsters as well. _"There aren'ts many humans around these parts anyways. You two are the first fresh ones we've seens in a while. Mind the pun," _he had laughed. Mario and Peach had just stared. Ignoring their awkwardness, he had gone on to explain that new werewolves often slept a day or two, sometimes even a week, after their first transformations. _"The first time's they changes always leaves them exhausted. It takes them around six months to learns how to change at will and control it. Takes them a year to be able to change with their clothes on," he had added with a wink. "I remember my boy went through a truckloads of shorts and t-shirts the first year." _He had left after this, assuring the worried humans that Daisy would be fine in a couple of hours. Despite this, Peach couldn't help but be worried. She was just thinking of maybe going to the kitchen to get herself some coffee and chase her drowsiness away, when she heard a knock on the door. Opening it, she found herself face to face with the innkeeper.

"Oh, um, hello," she stuttered, startled. The innkeeper tipped his hat, a smile on his face.

"Not meanings to be nosy, buts do you have an appointments with the Queen?"

Peach blinked, blanking out for a second, before she remembered.

"Oh, yes! We had an appointment at five."

"Wells, it's close to four now. Do you two wanna get goings and I'll look afters your friend while you're both gones." Peach blinked hesitating. The innkeeper, seeing her hesitation, smiled. "Don'ts worry. She'll be perfectly fine with me. I've looked afters newbie wolves before. And anyways, if you have an appointments with the Queen, you absolutely DO NOT wants to miss it."

Peach looked at him for a long moment, before sighing. "OK. If you're really sure, then I don't see any problem. And we would like to find out what we need to from the Queen." She glanced down at the innkeeper curiously. "How did you know when our appointment was anyway?"

The innkeeper shrugged. "The Royal House always puts up a list of appointments on the Bulletin Board in towns every day. Saw your names and I thoughts I might reminds you. Likes I said, no-one misses an appointments with the Queen."

Peach nodded slowly. "Well, for that I must thank you graciously. Mario and I will leave soon then."

The innkeeper nodded. "I'll looks after the cub. She'll be fines. And good luck with your appointment." Peach smiled sadly, before going to wake Mario.

* * *

Raven walked quickly through the halls of the castle, trying to avoid looking too closely at the gruesome pictures hanging on the walls. Since her family was so closely connected to the Underwhere and the demons that dwelled there, they had a lot of old paintings, mostly of her ancestor, the Shadow Queen's numerous exploits. Picking up her pace, she continued hurriedly, stopping in front of a pair of huge ornate, ebony doors. An intricate design of flames in silver, complete with weaving lines forming designs of numerous demons, gleamed faintly in the light from the torches. Closing her eyes, she sighed, before knocking on the door.

A voice sounded. "Enter." She stepped in cautiously. The shadows had lengthened as clouds moved in outside, threatening and grey with the burden of rain. It only added to the gloomy atmosphere as the shadows bleached all colour from the court room. Even in the dark, Raven's keen eyesight could pick out a shape stirring at the other end, in the shadows cast by the imposing royal throne. Ice-blue eyes blinked, reflecting the flames from the only torch in the room. A lithe shape separated itself from the shadows, trotting across the room on soft, silent paws. She smiled, and leaned down to stroke the black cat as it rubbed against her, purring.

"Hey Hades, it's been a while," she whispered softly as the cat purred, licking her fingers, before retreating to the throne, where a figure was seated, who wasn't there before. The figure lifted a dark-gloved hand, resting her delicate chin on it as she gazed down at Raven, who, in the presence of this figure, looked small and insignificant. The Night Princess bowed her head as she greeted the Queen. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Queen Nyx smiled coldly, eyes narrowing. "Is that any way for a daughter to address her mother?"

Raven glared up at her mother, green eyes meeting ice-blue. "I'll start addressing you like a mother when you start acting like one," she hissed, unable to hide her anger.

Nyx's blood-red lips pressed into a thin line as she gazed down at her daughter. "Such cheek never did anyone any good, Raven," she said mildly, though her eyes flashed red. Raven remained silent, gazing up at her mother. Nyx blinked slowly, reminding Raven of an owl. A silent, deadly owl watching and waiting for the right moment to strike. Sighing, she gestured lazily with her hand. "Well, enough sweet talk then. No doubt you know the reason I called you here. Luigi's little friends are causing a disturbance, and you know how important it is that they do not get close to him. Not until Diddlesmith has finished his plans."

Raven gazed up wearily. "Let me guess, you want me and Luna to go and 'take care' of them," she said sarcastically, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers. Nyx shook her head, smiling as Raven tried to hide her surprise.

"No, in fact, I invited them here today to discuss Luigi's…agreement. I wanted you and Luna to be present in case anything goes wrong. Rumour has it that one of the princesses has become a beast like dear little Luna." Raven bristled at her mother's condescending tone. Nyx continued, seemingly not noticing Raven's anger. "And so, I asked you all to come back, and help me deal with this little hiccup. It's probably nothing, but one can never be too careful," she finished, fixing Raven with her ice-blue glare. Raven shivered. That glare had frozen the Ninth Circle of the Underwhere, Jaydes had liked to joke, but experiencing it first hand was far from amusing.

"Of course. I'll just fetch Luna and the rest of them, then," Raven replied, before walking hastily to the door, feeling her mother's gaze burning her back. She closed the door, sighing with relief, leaning against it for support. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she steadied herself, before walking over to the open window. It was early afternoon, the watery sunlight feebly trying to break through the dark clouds. With a sigh, Raven transformed, a dark shadowy cloak enveloping her shape, reforming it into that of a raven. With a shriek, she took off, a black dot against the ominous clouds.

* * *

Luna trotted onwards, still on the trail. She had followed it into a clearing a while back, and had recognized the scents of Mario and Peach mixed with it, remembering them from the ill-fated Ball. _So then that must mean the wolf I'm tracking is probably Daisy._ Luna knew that most people would have told her to turn back now, seeing as she'd discovered the wolf behind the scent, but the identity of the stranger just made her more curious, especially as it seemed familiar. So she had trekked onwards, stopping as she came to the edge of the forest. Peering out, she could see what appeared to be an inn close by, where she guessed Mario and company were staying. Flicking her ears, she sat back on her haunches, considering her options. _So I either go to the inn and raise hell, or I turn around and go home to the clearing to babysit Dimentio. Hmm, I wonder,_ she thought sarcastically to herself, before giving herself a fierce shake. _Great, now I'm talking to myself. I really am going insane. Whoop-de-doo._ Making up her mind, she crouched, creeping forward across the open stretch of grass, before sheltering in the safety of the shadows. Peering in through the low window, she could see what appeared to be the reception, with a counter with numerous keys hanging on the wall behind it. Stairs led away into the upper rooms, and a slowly withering pot plant stood next to the counter. _Hmm, should I try Lady Luck? Surely no human with a soul would turn away a sad, stray dog,_ she thought mischievously. Flattening her ears and putting on her best begging face, she trotted up to the door and raised her paw to scratch at it, when she heard movement from inside. Diving back into the shelter of the shadows, she crouched, hoping to remain inconspicuous as the door swung open, voices sounding.

"Don'ts worry. She'll be fines. Good luck withs your appointments. Luna stiffened, hackles rising. _I know that voice. _She slunk back further as more people sounded.

"Thank you, Mr Innkeeper. And we'll be fine, I assure you," a gentle feminine voice replied, which Luna guessed was Peach. Footsteps sounded, and Luna pressed herself against the wall as the three humans stepped out. Peach was looking as elegant as ever in her billowing pink gown, while Mario stood loyally by her side, looking the same in his trademark red and blue overalls outfit. Her eyes wandered over to the third human, the innkeeper. He looked like any other human, maybe a bit chubby, with a vanishing head of hair, but she recognized him. She'd recognize him anywhere. Her mind suddenly cleared, like a ray of sun bursting through a cloud. Oh, she knew what she was going to do to him. She bared her teeth, a snarl rumbling through her throat, causing the humans to whirl around, fear thickening the air. She stalked forward, eyes fixed on the innkeeper, teeth bared the whole time. Her hackles bristled, making her look twice as big, adding to the terror of the humans. Peach looked horrified, Mario looked shocked, but the innkeeper looked terrified, his face frozen with shock and fear, as if the world he knew was coming to an end.

"_You_," he breathed, taking a step back. Luna snarled, teeth flashing. _Glad to see me?_ The innkeeper turned, as if to run, but the werewolf was faster. She leapt, knocking over the innkeeper, and reared back, about to deliver a vicious bite, when something tackled her, knocking her off of him. Whirling around, she snarled ferociously as her blazing amber eyes met a fierce ice blue. The white tiger snarled, revealing his even more ferocious canine teeth, long and dagger sharp. His huge paws clamped down on her chest, pinning her to the ground. The wolf struggled furiously, her breath coming in frenzied pants. Somewhere deep in her mind, her human half screamed at her to stop, that she was out of control, but her wolf half had taken over completely, and her mind screamed that everything was a threat, that she had to fight for survival. She roared, snapping at the tiger's massive throat, but he reared back and her jaws missed completely. He stared at her steadily, ice blue eyes glittering with a human concern, a low hypnotic rumble beginning in his throat. Slowly, surely, the wolf stopped struggling, and rested her head on the ground, a low whine escaping her throat, the fury in her eyes fading, replaced by a guilty sorrow as she remembered who she was. She closed them as dizzying blackness hit her like a wave, enveloping her in its dark coils, and she gave herself to it, welcoming it without a fight.


	17. Animal Planet

**HOLY FREAKIN' CHEESEBALLS OVER 1300 VIEWS:O OMG Thank you so much to everybody I love you all:D We all know who owns who by now yeah yeah yeah. Enjoy:D PS. Sorry if the ending of this chapter makes no sense. I couldn't think of a better way to end it, so I...ended it^^; Also Weretiger Princess is writing an amazing story on this very website about The Mortal Instruments series, and especially Simon:D And Luna and Raven are in it^^ Happies:D So, if you wanna go see Raven act bitchy and take out the Head Vampire of New York City (Come on, who wouldn't;D) then go and read it, it is called Blood of the Daylighter. Dum Dum DUUUUUM:D Anyways, that's enough from me, so ENJOY:D**

Daisy awoke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright. Beads of sweat ran down her face, her orange-brown hair damp with it. Looking around wildly, she realized she was in an unfamiliar room, lying on a plain white bed, the snowy sheets twisted around her body like a snake. Gradually, her heartbeat slowed, and she calmed, catching her breath. Looking around, she realized she was alone, though, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she could smell the comforting familiar scents of Mario and Peach, still fresh. She could also smell another human, unfamiliar to her. Raising a hand to her head, she closed her eyes, trying desperately to remember what happened. _We were on the train, and then…Mario and Peach were talking, and I…_she snapped her eyes open, horror freezing her blood as she realized what she had done.

"Oh, Grambi, I can't have…," she trailed off, raising her hands to her mouth as she stared, unseeing, into the dark corners of the room, as images flashed through her mind. The pain as claws tore through her gloves, her spine bending, forcing her to all fours, ripping her dress in the process. Fur sprouting, tiny needles pushing through her skin, transforming her into a beast. The horrible feeling of savagery as she raced through the woods, jaws slavering to tear into any creature she could find. A sudden frenzied howl snapped her out of her nightmare. Head snapping up, she froze as she heard another animal roar, followed by the frightened cries of humans. Without thinking, she bolted out of bed, not stopping to think how she had gotten into her white nightgown. All other thoughts were pushed out of her mind, as she raced downstairs, stopping in shock as she caught sight of the scene outside.

Mario, Peach and a short, balding man cowered at the doorway, gazes fixed on two screaming bundles of fur rolling on the ground. On closer inspection, Daisy realized the larger and paler of the two was a massive white tiger pinning down, she realized with a cold shiver of dread, a snarling black wolf, its amber eyes narrowed in fury as it snapped at the tiger's throat. The tiger didn't seem to be fighting back though, Daisy realized. It was doing nothing more than sitting on the wolf as it struggled, claws not even out. As she watched, the tiger blinked, a human concern entering its eyes as it stared at the angry canine. She watched in astonishment as the tiger began to seemingly purr, a low hypnotic rumble that quivered through the ground. Slowly, surely, the wolf stopped struggling, its fierce snarls fading to pitiful whimpers. Its glowing amber eyes closed, and it went limp, seemingly unconscious. The tiger got off of it, and raised its head to stare at the group. Its gaze travelled from Mario, Peach and the man, before it rested on Daisy. The princess shivered as it locked gazes with her, its ice-blue eyes staring through her like smoke. It blinked once, than began to prowl towards them, each massive paw hitting the ground with a menacing thud. Daisy could do nothing but watch as the tiger inched closer, not to her, but to the balding man. As it walked, it seemed to ripple, fur shrinking, spine straightening, until a young man stood where the tiger used to be, staring the man straight in the eye as he cowered beneath him. He was startlingly handsome with piercing green-gold eyes and straight brown hair that was messily arranged atop his head. He wore clothes that could be described as bad boy rock style, with ripped jeans and a leather jacket, though his thoughtful expression and kind face didn't match his choice of clothes. He opened his mouth, as if about to speak, but was interrupted by a loud squawking and flapping of wings. Everyone looked up, Daisy included, and she was surprised to see a large black raven perched on the roof of the inn. A small Swooper hung upside down next to it from the rafters, glaring at the party with beady black eyes. Daisy tilted her head to one side, a brief flare of recognition hitting her as she stared at the Swooper. _Wait a minute._

Mario blinked as he gazed at the Swooper. "Nastasia?" The Swooper blinked back at him, before flying off, leaving the large raven perched on the roof. It blinked down at the humans with gleaming red eyes, a cold intelligence sparking in its gaze that sent a cold trickle of foreboding down Daisy's spine. The others seemed equally mesmerised, almost as if in a trance, their gazes never leaving the black bird. It turned its gaze on the strange boy, the weretiger. Very faintly, he nodded, almost imperceptibly, that Daisy was pretty sure that she was the only one that caught it. With a sharp caw, it flew off, breaking its mesmerising spell over the humans. The others shuddered, shaking their heads as if waking up from sleep. The teenage boy ignored them, walking over to the fallen wolf. He put his hand on its scruff, gently stroking the thick black fur.

Without looking up, he asked quietly, "You have an appointment with Nyx." It wasn't a question, more like a statement, sounding quite cold in his strong British accent. Mario and Peach glanced at each, before nodding hesitantly. The other man was staring at the wolf lying on the ground, his expression frozen into a shocked mask.

Daisy stepped forward, distrust sparking through her. "Wait a minute. Why should we trust _you_?" she growled, her voice breaking as the wolf stirred within her. Peach and Mario gave little gasps of surprise as Daisy strode past them, but she ignored them, her gaze fixed on the weretiger.

He blinked at her, interest glittering in his gaze. "Ah, so you must be Princess Daisy?" The flower princess didn't reply, gazing at him distrustfully. He tilted his head, gazing at her thoughtfully. Finally, after a long period of silence, he said softly, "You need an escort through the castle, and sadly, I am the only one who can give you that." A faint hint of a growl entered his tone, alluding to his alter-ego. Daisy glared at him, her eyes beginning to glow yellow in the weak afternoon light. The weretiger raised his head, staring at her through narrowed eyes. "Careful little wolf. The last person you want to shift in front of is my poor friend over there." He nodded towards the dark heap of fur on the ground. Daisy glanced at it once before looking back at him, her eyes darkening. Peach and Mario came hurrying up, the pink princess placing a comforting hand on Daisy's shoulder.

"Not now Daisy. Save it for later." Daisy threw the boy one last glare, before stalking off, Peach tagging after her, leaving Mario and the weretiger alone. He looked down at him with his piercing green-gold eyes, and Mario shivered, feeling uneasy. There was something unnerving about this boy, apart from the fact that he changes into a tiger, making him seem more dangerous than Bowser.

With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair as he asked, "We should be going soon. You don't want to be late." He walked back over to the wolf, who was now stirring. Mario watched as he bent down, whispering something in the wolf's ear.

A sudden flare of annoyance hit Mario.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Saying what?" the boy replied, not looking up.

"That we shouldn't be late."

"You don't want to be late, unless you want to be another statistic," the weretiger stated calmly. Mario blinked at him in shock. The boy looked up. "Which is why I should escort you. Any anger felt for you would be softened if I'm there."

Mario glared at him. "Why?"

The boy's eyes gleamed. "Nyx and I know each other quite well."

They stood, staring each other down, until at last Mario shook his head, defeat plain in his posture. "Then it seems we have no choice."

The boy dipped his head. "Don't worry. I'm not out to betray you or anything. I am merely a guide. We'll leave just as soon as Luna feels better," he added, glancing down at the wolf.

Mario followed his gaze, blinking in surprise. "_It_ has a name?" The boy looked up, amusement sparking in his gaze. "Of course she does. Her name's Luna. While on the subject of names," he said, crouching down beside Luna, "Mine's Faian." He leaned in close, whispering something again in the wolf's ear. This time though, it twitched. Slowly, the wolf rose to all four paws, blinking drowsily. Mario stepped back, a bit unnerved by how big she was. Her fur was thicker around her neck, almost forming a mane, making her look like a miniature black lion. The wolf, Luna, yawned widely, showing a full set of teeth, before glaring at the innkeeper, who was still cowering on the ground. She snarled, baring her teeth, as the innkeeper went deathly pale, backing away, crablike, from the angry wolf. Mario stepped in front of him, glaring at the wolf. She turned her gaze on him, hackles rising dangerously as she met his gaze. She crouched, a growl rumbling through her throat as Mario refused to back down. Peach and Daisy had also both looked up at the noise. Faian drew himself up to his full height, glaring down at Mario. "Don't stare. Wolves take it as a threat, so it's considered _extremely_ rude." His eyes flashed ice-blue.

Mario glared up at the weretiger. "Well, how was I supposed to know that?" he snapped, annoyed.

Faian shrugged, looking nonchalant. "Watch more Animal Planet, I guess. You're gonna need to learn wolf if you still want to be friends with Daisy," he replied, eyes glittering. Daisy snapped her head up at the mention of her name, eyes narrowing as Faian stared steadily back at her. She blinked, her blue eyes fading to yellow and she bared her teeth. Peach blinked, startled at her friend's transformation. Faian broke his gaze away, returning it to a stunned looking Mario. He smiled crookedly. "Like I said. Animal Planet," he smirked, before starting down the main road towards Twilight Town. A loud yowling stopped everyone in their tracks. Looking in the direction of the noise, Mario was surprised to see a small black and white cat standing at the edge of the trees. Lying on the ground next to it was a small bag. The cat sat down and yowled plaintively again, ears flattened. Faian gasped. "Oh crap, I forgot about Dimentio!" Mario and Peach swung their gazes around and stared at Faian in shock. Faian blinked. "What? Why are you all looking like that?"

Mario growled, eyes narrowing in anger. "Dimentio? You mean the psychotic jester Dimentio that tried to destroy all worlds? What are you doing with HIM?" he yelled in anger and disbelief. Peach came and stood next to Mario, glaring at Faian with fierce blue eyes. The weretiger narrowed his eyes, and met their gazes steadily. "I don't know what you're talking about, but yeah, that Dimentio is a jester on a normal day. But right now, he's as harmless as a kitten. _Literally_. That same queen that you're going to meet today did this to him and right now, the only thing Dimentio can torture right now is a mouse if he's lucky. So I'm sorry, but you're just gonna have to put up with him. And it's not like he can talk or do anything."

* * *

Meanwhile, Luna had sat next to Dimentio, and was currently watching Faian and the rest of Mario's group arguing about him. She glanced down at him to see his reaction, and was not surprised to see him look emotionless, not even the twitch of an ear, or the flick of a tail giving him away. She coughed, sounding like a hoarse bark, and said, "How you feeling?"

Dimentio glanced up at her, looking bored. "How do you think I'm feeling, darling Luna?" he replied sarcastically.

Luna sighed. "Geez, are you on your man-period or something? Seriously, I'm just asking how's life. No need to chew my head off," she snapped back. Dimentio rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply and turned back to watch Faian arguing. The volume had risen, and a couple of birds had flown away, screeching in fear, as the argument had become more heated.

Dimentio flicked his ears, sighing, before turning back to Luna. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Luna looked surprised. "Asking me what?"

"What happened back there? I have known you for quite a while, and yet, I've never seen you lose control like that."

Luna blinked a couple of times, before sighing and turning back to face the argument. Her gaze grew distant. "It's a long story," she said, her gaze growing wistful. Dimentio sidled up next to her, pressing his fur comfortingly against her leg. She glanced down at him. "Since when did you get so touchy-feely?"

The black and white cat drew away, ears flattened. "Oh…It's hard to explain, but I think you'll understand. Ever since I became a cat, things just…I don't know," he trailed off. For the first time in his life, he couldn't think of anything to say.

Luna answered his unspoken thoughts. "Your cat instincts are kicking in, Dim Sim. Cats mark their territory by feeling and rubbing up against objects. Leaves their scent, so to speak. Hey at least you aren't spraying," Luna grinned mischievously. "We might have to get you neutered if you start doing that." She dodged, laughing as Dimentio swiped at her, hissing. She bowed, tail wagging in the air. "Come get me kitty!" Dimentio yowled, leaping at her, and she rolled with him, pinning him easily to the ground with one huge paw. "Naw, is the poor kitty tired? Does Mr Dimples want to go home to bedsy byes?" She grinned, tongue lolling out.

Dimentio lay there, panting and glaring up at her with furious slitted eyes. "I'll flay you for this Luna. Seriously, as soon as this damn curse is broken-,"he was cut off as Luna laid a sharp claw across his muzzle. "Tut tut, that didn't go so well last time, did it? Now I've had my fun, so we're all gonna be nice to each other and go and show the nice people where Nyx's castle is," she crooned hypnotically. "And little Dimmy is going to behave himself, and if he's good, Raven will talk to him and make him a _very_ happy jester. Aren't I right?"


	18. Lycanthropy 101

**Yays chapter 18:D Ha ha ha, thank you again to everyone who continues to support this story:) It is nearly at an end, but there will probably be a sequel 'cause yeah, it's taken a bit longer than originally planned, oops^^; Oh wells. MORE TORTURE FOR EVERYONE:D Na seriously this story was originally going to be one book, but its multiplied into such a massive dominating monster that its probably going to have three parts to it now. And the first one is nearly over(I think):D So enjoy everybody:) Mario, Peach, Daisy, Dimentio and Nastasia are owned by Nintendo. All other characters are owned by me:D Except for Faian who's owned by Weretiger Princess. As usual, please review^^ Pretty please:D**

Peach watched the wolf and the cat fighting as Mario continued to argue with Faian. It wasn't really fighting, more the wolf, Luna apparently, pinning down a furious Dimentio with one huge paw. She still found it hard to reconcile the image of the bloodthirsty jester with the form of a small, scrawny black and white cat, though she had to admit the cold intelligence in its eyes, the exact same shade of yellow and grey Dimentio's eyes had been, did remind her irresistibly of the dark magician. Right now, though, it was the huge black wolf that scared her more, even though she seemed to be harmlessly teasing Dimentio. She glanced at Daisy, who seemed to be mesmerised by the wolf and the cat, their yowling and barking nearly drowning out the increasingly intense argument between Mario and Faian. The wolf suddenly looked up, her amber gaze locking with Daisy's. Peach started as Daisy tensed, before looking away. The wolf flicked its ears, before trotting over to the group, leaving Dimentio lying on his back, glaring after her. The wolf's form seemed to ripple, spine straightening and fur receding, until a teenage girl with slightly tanned skin and ruffled black hair stood near Faian and Mario, gazing at them with an unimpressed look in her dark brown eyes. She seemed wild, but there was a strange, untamed beauty about her, so different to what Peach would assume a werewolf looked like. She blinked. Pretty or not, she didn't think she could ever get used to their ability to shift like that. Daisy was also staring at the girl with a strange look in her gaze, a mixture between fear and wonder. Peach frowned. There was something else, something strangely familiar about the girl. She shook her head. _I'm probably just imagining things. _Meanwhile, Luna seemed to have had the same effect on Mario, for as soon as she stalked up next to Faian, Mario broke off, blinking at her in astonishment.

Luna glared back at him, seemingly not noticing his awkwardness. "Look Mr Meatball, I know you probably wanna get your brother back soon, so I'm just gonna cut to the chase. If the Night Queen has really taken him, then the only way you're gonna find anything out is if you come with us. And Dimentio is included with us." She made a sweeping gesture with her hand as if to indicate everyone. "So, you either come with us, psycho jester-cat included, or you turn around and go home now, before I deliver you all nicely chopped up to Nyx. Your choice." Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and stalked back to where Dimentio was sitting, watching the exchange with curious eyes. Mario blinked in shock. Even Faian looked a bit shaken.

The plumber shook his head, before turning back to Faian, a burning question in his eyes. "Who is she?"

Faian stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Mario blinked in confusion. "I'm so sure I've seen her before. She reminds me of someone."

Faian blinked. "You sure? 'Cause I'm pretty sure this is the first time she's met you."

Peach spoke up. "No, I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before as well."

Faian gazed at them both, uncertainty entering his gaze, before shaking his head impatiently. "Well, whatever. If you really do figure it out and remember who she is, let me know ok?"

Mario blinked in surprise. "You mean you don't-"

Faian cut him off. "No, I don't actually know, um, that much about…her," he admitted awkwardly. As Mario stared at him in disbelief, Faian met his gaze defiantly. "But I'd trust her with my life. And I know she may seem a bit…difficult, but I assure you she's just anxious about meeting the Night Queen," he added, his voice regaining its cool, distant tone.

Mario stared at him uncertainly. "Is Nyx really that…dangerous?" Faian gazed at him steadily.

"All vampires are if you piss them off," he replied in a deadly calm tone, sending shivers through the group.

* * *

Raven soared high above the clouds, Nastasia dutifully flitting around her.

They flew onwards in silence, before Nastasia broke it hesitantly. "Um, do you think you still made the right, um, choice, Princess?"

Raven soared onward in silence, pretending not to know what Nastasia was talking about. "The right choice about what?"

Nastasia looked at her with concern. "Dimentio."

Raven sighed, dipping lower to avoid flying into a large cloud. Nastasia followed suit. "I honestly don't know. Actually, I don't know what possessed me to plead for his release in the first place," she admitted. Nastasia flitted worriedly around Raven's head. She glanced at her quickly. "I know you of all people have the greatest reason to hate him. Obviously, he killed you once, and he was also responsible for the destruction of Lady Timpani and Lord Blumiere, the man you loved more than life. And I know seeing him today, even in that shape, would have brought up all of those dark emotions again, even after so long," she said gently. Nastasia flapped slowly, fighting back the tidal wave of emotions as Raven mentioned Blumiere. The princess shook her head sadly as she continued. "But I…have known Dimentio for a very long time. One might say we were…friends a long time ago, when this world was younger," she sighed wistfully. Nastasia looked at her in surprise, nearly flying headlong into a startled goose in her shock. Raven quickly grabbed her in her talons, dragging her out of the way.

Nastasia shook herself, looking up at Raven in embarrassment. "Apologies, Princess."

Raven released her. "No need, Nastasia." She continued onwards. Nastasia retook her place next to her, still struggling over her shock. "So, um, what happened?"

Raven looked at her sadly. "Now is not the time for this story. And we are nearly at the castle anyway. But I promise one day…I will tell you. All of you." Nastasia glanced at her in surprise. "You mean Luna and the others-,"

"Have no idea what Dimentio really means to me. To them, he is just a sorry prisoner under the cruel mercy of the Night Royals. A plaything of sorts, if you will. And we all know what eventually becomes of the playthings, don't we Nastasia?" she inquired coldly, sounding exactly like her mother. Nastasia nodded calmly in acknowledgement, but she couldn't help a cold trickle of dread creeping down her spine, wondering exactly what was going on with Dimentio and the Night Princess.

* * *

Luna, meanwhile, was busying herself trying to burn a hole in the back of the innkeeper's head with her eyes alone. He had gotten up and was standing near Mario, Peach and Daisy, staying as far away as possible from her. She growled. "_One day, I'll get you_," she snarled under her breath, causing Dimentio to look up in alarm. He glanced at the innkeeper, then back at her, an obvious question burning in his bi-coloured eyes. Luna ignored him, watching the conversation intently. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Faian beckoned to her. She got up, stretching her hands above her head, before prowling over to them, Dimentio trotting obediently at her heels. Faian looked at the innkeeper questioningly as he skittered away as fast as possible, back to the safety of his inn, where he quickly locked the door. Faian then looked at Luna, turning his questioning look on her. Luna shook her head, knowing that she'd have to answer his questions later.

He shrugged, before turning back to the group. "So, finally, are we all prepared to leave?" The group nodded. Smiling, he turned to Luna. "Do you mind keeping a watch?" he asked softly, so the group couldn't hear.

Luna grinned, showing fangs. "Of course not. It would be my honour," she replied cheekily. She glanced down at Dimentio. "And little Dim Sim here can keep me company." She shifted rapidly, grabbing Dimentio's scruff in her jaws, ignoring his screech of protest, and, flipping him over so he landed on her back, she sped away into the darkness of the surrounding forest. Mario and the princesses stared nervously at the spot where she had vanished.

"What's she doing?" Mario demanded.

Faian smiled at them. "Oh, she's just scouting for threats. Not all of the monsters around here are as friendly as us," he answered, sharp canines glittering. Mario glared at him, while Peach looked around fearfully. Only Daisy hadn't reacted, instead still staring at the spot where Luna had vanished. Faian looked them all over once, before saying sweetly, "Princess Daisy, you might be inclined to change out of that ravishing white nightgown before we go. Let's make a good first impression, shall we?" Daisy glared at him, trying hard not to slap the arrogant smile off of his face. The weretiger smirked at her, before wandering over to the edge of the woods, where he lounged against a thick tree trunk, staring out at the forest. Peach sighed, before tugging gently at Daisy's hand, guiding her towards the inn. The flower princess followed reluctantly, glaring daggers at Faian's direction, who waved at her lazily. She growled under her breath.

Peach made a soothing noise in her throat. "Now, you know he's just trying to provoke you," she warned. Daisy looked away, glaring at the ground, blue eyes burning with anger. Peach patted her back. "Just ignore him. He's not worth it. On a more important note, how are you feeling?"

Daisy sighed, beginning to calm down. "Better," she admitted. "But still, sometimes…it's hard," she finished simply.

Peach nodded slowly. "I can only imagine," she replied sadly.

Daisy looked up at the sky, letting out a gusty sigh. "Also Peach, um, I just wanted to say…I'm so sorry, first, for what I've put you and Mario through. I know, I try so hard, but sometimes…" she trailed off, her voice shaking.

Peach pulled her friend into a hug. "There, there. You know this isn't your fault Daisy. We'll find a cure, don't worry. We'll get you through this, I promise you," she murmured soothingly as Daisy began to cry. She guided Daisy gently through the doors, which were now mysteriously unlocked, though the innkeeper was nowhere to be seen, upstairs to their room. Daisy went to sit on the bed, wiping away the last of her tears as she drew in a shuddering breath. Peach was busily pawing through their suitcases to find a suitable gown for Daisy, her last one having been destroyed during her transformation. She had found what she thought to be a suitable replacement, a nice simple gown, yellow with white flower designs, when there was a cough at the door. Both girls turned to see Luna standing in the doorway, examining her fingernails while studiously ignoring both of them.

Peach was too taken aback to say anything, but Daisy growled, all traces of her earlier misery gone. "What do you want? How'd you get in here?"

"Magic," Luna answered coolly, looking up from her fingernails to stare at the princesses. "Also, I'm here to check up on you both. Scouting for monsters remember? And last time I heard, Daisy fits quite snugly into that category, I believe," she smirked. Daisy's eyes blazed as she took a step closer to Luna, while the other werewolf gazed back at her calmly, looking her straight in the eye. Daisy blinked, then, almost against her will, she instinctively looked away. Luna beamed. "There's a good girl. Now, because I'm so thoroughly impressed, I'll give Daisy here a little lesson. Lycanthropy 101," she grinned, teeth flashing. "I'm sure Faian will agree. Daisy doesn't need to go traipsing all the way up to the vamp's castle, does she? She can have more fun here. And I know Peach and Mario will search just as hard for poor Luigi." Luna grinned at both of them. Peach and Daisy both blinked in surprise as Luna's words registered.

Peach was the first to break the silence. "Wait, so what you're saying is-"

"I will happily teach Daisy how to control this little problem of hers. Right now. And the sooner we start, the sooner we can get it fixed, right?" Luna grinned again at both of them.

Peach looked at Daisy. "Well, I, um, think it's up to Daisy. What do you want to do?" Daisy was still looking at Luna, this time with thoughtfulness in her gaze. Looking at the two of them, Peach couldn't help but notice how similar they both looked. They both had the same type of hairstyle, though Luna's was longer and admittedly messier. They even had similar figures, and facial features. Suddenly, the realization struck her like lightning. The person Luna so strongly resembled, the reason she had looked so familiar when Peach had first seen her, was because she looked identical to Daisy. Peach blinked, gasping as she realized what she was seeing. It was true. Apart from the hair and eye colour, Daisy and Luna looked so similar, they could almost be…twins.


	19. The Return Of Dim Sim

**Mwahaha I'm on an updating spree and no-one can stop meh:D Nah, enjoy. As usual, most characters belong to Nintendo, except for the ones owned by meh and Weretiger Princess:P Also this was written at 3 am, so sorry for any mistakes or errors, I'll get around to fixing it properly when I have time:P Enjoys!**

Both werewolves turned to face Peach as she gasped, looking at her with identical expressions of concern. Far from calming her down, it just served to make her more agitated, as it highlighted how eerily similar the two girls were.

"Peach, you ok?" Daisy asked with concern. Luna's expression had changed to one of contempt, though Peach ignored it. She blinked as she stared back at Daisy, before shaking her head quickly.

"No, it's nothing Daisy," she replied, "Anyway, what are you going to do?" _I won't mention it to her. She has enough to deal with already, _the blonde added silently to herself. Daisy looked unconvinced, but she turned back to Luna, who was watching with an arrogant smirk on her face. _That's one thing her and Daisy don't have in common, _Peach thought fiercely, surprising herself with the force of her convictions. _Daisy and Luna couldn't possibly…I mean Daisy doesn't even have any close relatives apart from me_, Peach thought frantically. _It's probably just a …strange coincidence. Yes. _She was so caught up in her thoughts that she had missed what Daisy had said to Luna. Breaking out of her increasingly disturbed thoughts, she snapped back to attention as the werewolf twirled a stray black lock around her finger, staring at Daisy with a faint smile on her face.

"Good choice Daisy. Hee hee, you're smarter than you look. What a nice surprise." She grinned as Daisy's eyes darkened.

"At least I don't look like some stoner who just crawled out from the forest," she snapped, wiping the smile from Luna's face. It was back in a second.

"Well, isn't that what I just did? You could cut me some slack. Anyways, enough chit-chat. I'll just go downstairs and let Faian know of our great plans," she threw the last sentence over her shoulder as she walked back downstairs. Daisy growled again under her breath, staring after the other girl.

"You know you don't have to do this. I wouldn't blame you, especially if you have to put up with _her_," said Peach. Daisy shook her head, weariness clear on her face.

"No, this is for the best Peach. I'll put up with anything if it means I can get _this_ under control," she gestured to herself, her frustration clear. Peach sighed, unable to argue. If Daisy wanted it so badly, then there was nothing she could do to stop her. Besides, it wasn't like there was any other werewolf around who could help her get her lycanthropy under control. _And like Luna said, the sooner we get started on fixing it, the sooner Daisy will return to normal_, Peach thought to herself, glancing at Daisy. Despite her sleep, she still looked tired, her eyes rimmed red with drowsiness.

"Come on," Peach sighed. "Let's go and join everyone else." The two princesses walked out of the room to re-join Mario and the others.

* * *

Luigi returned to his post, beginning to feel tired. It had been a couple of hours since he started, and the bar was nearly empty, save for Paul and Ash, who had finally passed out after attempting to drag a stubborn pot plant back to his room. They were both lying on the bean bags in the corner, pot plant included, snoring loudly. The same couldn't be said for The Inferno, which was still blaring with loud music and screams echoing up from the dungeon below. Luigi randomly began to wonder who the DJ was tonight, as Luna was still M.I.A. He sighed, swaying on his feet, tiredness nearly overwhelming him. He looked at his watch. 11 pm, it read. Making up his mind, he glanced furtively around the bar, before heading out the hotel door for the second time that night. Heading upstairs, he paused as he heard the faint murmur of voices. Looking around, he could see a door at the end of the hallway, one that he hadn't noticed before. It was slightly ajar, a faint crack of light piercing the darkness. Beyond it, he could hear voices murmuring, sounding anxious. Creeping up cautiously, drowsiness forgotten, he leaned next to the door, being careful not to nudge it, and listened. One of the voices he recognized as King Diddlesmith, sounding unusually serious, while the other was a gruff masculine one with a business-like tone.

"Look, is this really necessary? He hasn't done anything wrong, and there are plenty of other, less awesome people out there that Nyx could use," Diddlesmith said anxiously. Luigi tensed, wondering what they were talking about. He had never heard Diddlesmith sound so nervous, and with a jolt, he remembered Nyx was Raven's mother. _What's going on? _he wondered.

The gruff voice answered. "Come on Diddlesmith, you're seriously standing up for this guy? Even after everything that he's done to your family?"

The king answered, sounding quite cold. "Well, half the time they deserved it. I mean, who goes around stealing princesses anyway? Someone who needs help, that's who."

A sigh sounded. "Look Diddlesmith, I'm sorry. But this is necessary. We don't want _him_ getting out again, do we? It was bad enough last time. Be glad you weren't around then."

"Yeah, I understand the whole reason, I just don't get why it has to be Luigi." Luigi froze at the mention of his name. He blinked in shock. _Me? _He sidled up closer, desperate to hear the rest of the conversation. A long silence followed, before someone let out a gusty sigh.

"Ok, Nyx made me promise not to tell anyone this but…" A faint whispering noise sounded, before Diddlesmith let out a gasp.

"_No. He couldn't possibly…_"the Koopa trailed off. The gruff voice sounded again.

"Now you know. See, Dimentio was right all along. And now that the big guy himself has heard, he won't settle for anyone else, so Nyx is in quite a dilemma. It's either her or him. Actually, it's either this world or him," he finished gruffly. Luigi trembled, cramming his fist into his mouth to stop himself from screaming. _What do they mean? What_-Luigi knew very well what they meant, though he couldn't bring himself to think it. He slid slowly down the wall, vision blurring. Diddlesmith sighed. Quickly, Luigi regained his position next to the door, just in time to catch the Koopa's last chilling words.

"Then so be it. If the world is at stake, then Luigi will be sacrificed next Blood Moon."

* * *

Daisy walked outside, immediately catching sight of a disgruntled-looking black and white cat sitting outside the door. As soon as her and Peach were out, the cat dashed inside, dragging what looked like a small sack with him. She noticed Peach shudder as the cat passed her, his fur brushing against the hem of her gown. With a flick of his tail, he vanished into the surrounding shadows inside the inn, darkening now with the falling of twilight. Peach walked quickly in the direction of the group, Daisy jogging to catch up.

"You really don't like him, do you?"

Peach glanced at Daisy. "Of course. He tried to kill us all. He's a psychopath, Daisy, don't trust anything he says."

"Well, he hasn't really said anything to me, y'know, considering he can't talk," Daisy replied cheekily, some of her old humour returning. Peach rolled her eyes, but she was pleased Daisy was beginning to act more like herself again. Faian was still lounging against the tree, though this time he was talking to Luna. The boy glanced up as the princesses arrived, detaching himself from the tree and strolling over to them.

"Luna tells me that you would rather stay here and learn from her than go to the castle," he said as he neared. Daisy glanced at Luna.

"It was her idea, not mine," she retorted, glaring at the other girl as she walked up next to Faian She smirked, regarding the two with gleaming eyes.

Faian looked at both of them, a strange look entering his gaze. "Wait a minute," he whispered, realization entering his eyes as he looked at both Daisy and Luna. Peach caught his eye, shaking her head minutely. Faian blinked, getting the message. "Right," he continued briskly, back to his business-like tone. "I see nothing wrong with that, and it would help Daisy with her lycanthropy." He looked around at all of them, Mario coming up behind Peach. With gleaming eyes, he said, "Well, it looks like we can finally set off then and see what Nyx has to say." He was about to leave when a voice sounded behind the group.

"I think I would prefer to stay with dear Luna as well."

Whipping around, the group were shocked to see Dimentio, now in his true form, floating lazily near the inn. His yellow eye shone in the dying light as he regarded the group with an interested gaze. He stared at Mario and Peach, his expression emotionless as he addressed Faian. "And it's so nice of you to remember me as well, Faian." Faian swallowed, unnerved by the jester.

"Uh, Dimentio I don't think that's such a good idea," Faian replied awkwardly, looking away from the jester. Mario and Peach, however, continued to glare at him. Dimentio returned their gazes, looking amused.

"Oh, quite the opposite, in fact. Judging from the fierce way the ravishing princess and Mario are staring at me, I think they'd prefer it if I stayed away from them. And I must say, the feeling is mutual, though I say, it is quite nice to see you again," he finished with a grin, flipping himself upside down to stare at them. Mario glared at him.

"You think you're so damn funny-," he began heatedly, only to be silenced as Luna placed two fingers on his lips, her eyes shining amber as she gazed down at him with a grin. She winked mischievously. Mario blinked, too surprised to say anything, and she released him as she walked over to Dimentio, who floated down to her level. She gazed at them steadily, before admitting, "If Dimentio would rather stay here, then he can help me help Daisy."

Mario's eyes blazed, getting over Luna's interruption. "No way. I am not letting Daisy stay here with just you two. Who knows if she'll even be here when we come back," he growled threateningly, moving in front of the princesses protectively. Luna opened her mouth to throw back a sharp retort, but Dimentio interrupted her.

"While I understand your concerns and admire your protectiveness, there is no reason why Luna or I would want to harm Daisy. Unlike you two, I have no reason to hate her. And neither does Luna," he added, with an affectionate smile at the werewolf, who returned it. Peach heard Faian growl. "And, I would like to help poor Daisy. It would be such a shame, wouldn't it, if she became unfit to rule her kingdom because of this," Dimentio continued. Luna froze as he spoke, her eyes clouding with some unreadable emotion. Peach blinked, wondering what she was seeing. But a moment later, the usual arrogant smirk was back on the werewolf's face, making Peach wonder if she had imagined it all. She tossed her head, her mane of black hair swishing, as she regarded the group.

"It's up to Daisy, I guess," she conceded. Everyone turned to look at the flower princess. She stared steadily back at everyone, before looking at Luna and Dimentio. After a long hesitant pause, she nodded.

"If you can help me, then I _guess_ I can put up with both of you," she smiled, a threat lurking underneath. Dimentio and Luna exchanged glances, before smiling at the rest of the group.

"Excellent," replied Luna, grinning happily. Faian looked at her, before turning to the group.

"Well, that's how it stands. Daisy will remain here with Dimentio and Luna. Let's go." He set off down the main path towards the town and the castle. Peach remained, looking at Daisy with concern.

"Daisy, listen, I really don't think this is a good idea," she whispered with fear. Daisy looked at her for a long moment, before shaking her head.

"I know Peach. But this is really important to me. I really don't want a repeat of the other night, and if it means staying with these freaks-,"

"I heard that," Luna interrupted loudly.

"Then that's just something I'll have to put up with for now. I know how cliché this sounds, but I _have_ to do this," she finished with a crooked smile. Peach sighed, her blue eyes shimmering with concern and sorrow.

"Then I guess it's your choice. But please, be careful," she pleaded. Daisy nodded, smirking, looking identical to Luna as she did, so much so Peach had to stop herself from flinching away. Daisy didn't seem to notice Peach's sudden awkwardness. She pulled Peach into a hug, before walking over to stand beside Luna and Dimentio. Peach took one last look, before she walked away, Mario guiding her every step, as they headed towards Nyx's lair.


	20. The Turning Point

**Yo peeps, there's a poll on mah profile about what bad story I should write next :D So go and vote, it's a tie for top spot right now, though I'm not going to say what the two possible stories are 'cause I'm mean:P Anyways, Luna, Jerry and the plot belong to moi, while Nintendo own everything else. LSP and Adventure Time belong to Cartoon Network. Enjoys:)**

Luigi sat on the floor, too frozen in shock and horror to move. He felt numb, as if his life belonged to someone else, not him. _Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. _The ominous words endlessly repeating themselves in his head like some catchy morbid song lyrics. He shook his head, holding it as he began to rock back and forth, shivering uncontrollably. _So that's why they took me. All along, they were lying. They just wanted me to be their little slaughterhouse pig. _He stared unseeing at the silver moonlight filtering through the high windows, a terrible sense of betrayal creeping through his veins, chilling his blood. Slowly, his mind cleared, the moonlight seemingly illuminating it, chasing away the dark shadows of panic. He got up quietly and, careful not to make any noise, he crept away from the door. He only had one goal in mind. He had to escape.

* * *

Daisy was watching the last of the group head away, before starting as Luna let out a gusty sigh. The princess turned to see her yawning, stretching her hands above her head, before running a hand through her black mane, eyes closed.

"Dear Grambi, I hate acting like that," she muttered tiredly. Daisy blinked.

"Like what?"

"A total bitchy slut. Seriously, it's so exhausting. Both emotionally and physically. Glad I don't have to do that for a while at least," she grinned slightly, gazing at Daisy with amusement.

"Um," Daisy looked at the werewolf oddly, confused by the sudden change of mood. Luna blinked away the last of her weariness, before raising herself to her full height, (which was really not that tall). She grinned, a smile of blinding white teeth.

"I'm sorry, but it seems we haven't been introduced properly. I'm Luna, the most beautiful werewolf you're ever gonna meet, and the creepy guy over there is Dimentio, also known affectionately as The Master of Dimensions, The Pleaser of Crowds, Dim Sim, Dimples, Dimikins-,"

"You can stop now," Dimentio said, unamused.

"Dimmy, Dimwit, Kefka rip-off, Joker wannabe, D-Dawg and The Amazing Extraordinary D, among other things," Luna finished, with a wink at Daisy. "But I prefer to call him Dim Sim, or 'Hey, you!'" she added. "But you can call him whatever." Dimentio was floating near Luna, looking disgruntled and unamused, not bothering to comment. Daisy looked at him distrustfully.

"He's been called a lot of other things, I've heard. Aren't you the crazy clown-,"

"Jester," Dimentio corrected.

"Whatever. The guy who tried to bring about the apocalypse? And aren't you supposed to be dead?" Daisy demanded.

"Well, actually, I had good reason to. And also, it's quite useful being acquainted with one of Death's descendants," he said with a knowing smile.

"Oh yeah?" Daisy challenged, raising an eyebrow, inviting Dimentio to explain further.

He opened his mouth, but Luna interrupted him. "Look, Daisy didn't come here to listen to your stories Dim Sim. She came to learn and drink from my fountain of knowledge," she said haughtily, tossing her head. "And the sooner she learns, the sooner she can get back to her friends. So let's start NOW!" her voice rose, somewhere between a howl and yell. Daisy blinked, staring at Luna apprehensively. Dimentio floated higher, away from Luna. Luna laughed. "'K, so what are you having the most trouble with?" she asked, turning to Daisy.

Daisy rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, controlling it."

"So you're changing when you don't want to, in other words, whenever you feel stressed, anger, or other strong emotions," Luna stated. Daisy nodded, relaxing. The older werewolf seemed to know exactly what was going on. Luna clapped her hands together. "Right, don't worry, that's a common problem with newbies. I remember the first time I was turned. Hoo boy, man I was just changing for the smallest reasons. I put a paw through the TV 'cause this show I was watching didn't feature my favourite character in that episode. Lumpy Space Princess, Adventure Time, in case you're wondering," she added with a wink. "Anyways, back to your problem. When you start feeling wolfy and you don't wanna change, think of things that calm you down. Mundane, normal, human things that are as far away from the wolf as possible," Luna explained. "Like with me, I think of balloons. And rubber ducks in the bath. And purple things. Yeah, I know it's random, but it works," she added defensively at the sight of Daisy's amused expression.

The flower princess shook her head. "Whatever you say," she said, amused. Despite Luna's earlier hostility, the flower princess was beginning to warm up to her. It was hard not to like the girl's cheery, enthusiastic personality. Daisy looked up to see Luna talking to Dimentio.

"How'd you manage to change back anyway?" she was asking. Dimentio ducked his head, narrowing his mismatched eyes at the werewolf.

"Willpower, I guess. Something you should know a lot about," the jester replied loftily. Luna rolled her eyes.

"Yay, three cheers for Dimmy. He's passed his first test at Psychopaths Anonymous. Like they say: willpower is one step on the path to being a better you," she replied sarcastically, clapping slowly. Dimentio slowly floated higher, turning his back on Luna. The werewolf grinned at the back of his head before skipping over to Daisy.

"'K, so you thought of anything nice and sweet?" she asked cheerily.

Daisy nodded. "Flowers," she grinned in reply.

Luna smiled. "Aw, sweet," she laughed. "Lucky you, I don't think about the moon for obvious reasons," she winked mischievously. Daisy laughed. Luna looked up to check on Dimentio, who was still floating ever higher.

"Hey Dim Sim, if you go any higher, people will start mistaking you for a lost balloon," she warned. Dimentio ignored her. "Fine, go and get chased by sad kids! See if I care!" she yelled. Dimentio glared at her, before teleporting away. Luna turned to Daisy. 'Sorry 'bout that, but he's really moody. Probably 'cause he's still getting over the whole, 'I failed to destroy the world, so now I must go and be emo' sorta thing. His loss," she grinned.

Daisy nodded hesitantly. "Righty-O then. Where'd he go anyway?"

Luna shook herself. "Righty-O indeed. Probably to Dimension D. He made it himself, and apparently it makes him 256 times more powerful. But it's this really weird green colour. I asked him once, 'If it's your own dimension, why not make it in your colours, like purple and yellow?' He didn't talk to me for a week afterwards," she laughed. "But, seriously, I wasn't being mean or anything, I was honestly curious."

"So, uh, have you two known each other for a long time?" Daisy asked, laughing at Luna's story. Luna shrugged.

"Depends on what you think is long. I've known him for about two years, which is probably little more than a month to him. He's immortal, though I'm not sure _exactly_ what he is. He won't tell me," she pouted. "And I don't know how old he is either. Anyway, enough about him. So, my greatest tip for not shifting is whenever you feel all grumpy and beastly, just think of nice happy flower fields and you should be sweet," Luna launched into werewolf lecture mode. "Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, think of the wolf. Ignore it. I mean, should a spunky badass like you be bossed around by an overgrown mutt?" Luna grinned.

Daisy laughed. "Man, why aren't you a motivational speaker, exactly?"

Luna smiled, looking proud of herself. "Look at me Daisy. Do I look kid-friendly to you? I'd end up giving them nightmares," she laughed. "Anyways, now that I've imparted my wisdom to you, let's go for a walk in ze woods," she continued in a terrible French accent.

Daisy followed. "Do you have multiple personality disorder or something? And why are we going to the woods?"

"Yep," Luna replied cheerfully. "All werewolves do. And we're going to ze woods to teach you all about said cutesy-poo werewolves. But wait!" she halted, Daisy managing to just avoid bumping into her.

"What?"

Luna looked at her with glowing eyes. "We need to find a spare set of clothes for you. Don't wanna be ruining that pretty dress, do we?" Daisy looked at her, the implication behind her words beginning to sink in.

"You mean we're-

"Yep. Some parts of this lesson require practical activity," she began in a disarmingly serious voice. Daisy looked at her.

"But-

Luna sighed. "Sorry Daisy, but learning to shift on the spot helps you be in control, right? And from what I've seen so far, you're someone who likes to be in control." Daisy nodded uncertainly.

"I guess."

Luna nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, the best thing to wear during shifting lessons is something loose that'll cover you while you're human, but will be easy to get out of when you turn wolf. Robes and towels are the best, so, unless you have any on you right now, I'll see what I can rustle up at that nice inn you're staying at." Luna headed back towards the inn. Daisy rushed after her, holding her back by the arm.

"Hey, you can't just walk in there and take a towel!"

Luna looked surprised. "Why not?"

Daisy stared at her. "That's stealing!"

"No it isn't. I'm _borrowing_," she enunciated carefully. "And I'm gonna return it, don't worry. Besides, you're staying here, so you have every right to use a towel," she tossed the parting words over her shoulder as she headed inside. Daisy stood outside, letting out an exasperated sigh as Luna walked in, paying no attention whatsoever to Daisy's concerns. _She reminds me of me_, she thought to herself, surprised. Then, without warning, a sudden image of a ferocious, snarling black wolf flashed in her mind. Daisy shook her head, feeling oddly cold. _No_. Suddenly remembering the innkeeper, she headed inside to see if he was alright after the shock Luna had given him. _I have to ask her about that. Being a werewolf doesn't make it okay to terrorise innocents._ Daisy shivered, remembering the night in the woods._ Look who's talking,_ she thought savagely to herself, the guilt at what she had nearly done to Mario making her edgy.

Shaking off her dark thoughts, Daisy walked inside. "Hello, Mr Innkeeper?" she called out. A rustling noise sounded, before the tubby shape of the innkeeper walked hurriedly out of a small door behind the counter, one Daisy was too busy to notice before.

"Oh, Daisy, you're back!" he exclaimed, looking pleased. Daisy nodded in reply, relieved to see the man looking less traumatised than before.

"Yeah, but I didn't exactly go anywhere," she explained.

"Oh?" The innkeeper raised an eyebrow, inviting the princess to further explain. Daisy's heart sank. If she revealed Luna was still here, the innkeeper might go into another nervous breakdown, or could even possibly try and throw them both out.

She swallowed, thinking quickly. "I decided to stay here, rather than go to Nyx's castle. I-I don't know if I could control myself enough yet, and I thought it would be best if I stayed. I don't wanna get the others into trouble because of my, um, temper," she explained. _Well, that's partly the truth_, she thought to herself.

The innkeeper drummed his fingers on the counter, understanding gleaming in his eyes. "Oh, okay, if that's what you thinks is best. Listen princess, I may not know exactly whats you're going throughs, but I've dealt with my fair share of newbie wolves before. Heck, my son went through this. And I just wanted to lets you knows that if you needs any help with this, I'm here."

Daisy looked at him in surprise, the unexpected compassion sending a warm feeling through her. She blinked, and smiled. "Thanks. And I'm sorry, for what happened to your son." The innkeeper waved away her apology.

"No need to apologize, princess."

"Oh, I wouldn't trust _anything _he says," a voice sounded from behind them. Daisy turned to see Luna staring at the innkeeper, with a strange emotionless expression on her face.

"Luna, what-" The werewolf held up a hand, Daisy falling silent instinctively._ What? I'd never normally obey_-, her thoughts were interrupted as Luna prowled closer, her unblinking gaze fixed on the innkeeper. The flower princess noticed with a jolt that Luna had a chainsaw, her clawed fingers tapping it menacingly._ Whoa, wait, where'd she get that from?_ Daisy glanced over at the innkeeper, expecting him to be terrified. The innkeeper, however, didn't seem to be as terrified as he was before, though Daisy could smell the bitter scent of fear coming from him. Luna circled him, predatory and watchful.

"Why hello there Jerry. You don't seem so pleased to see me," she said cheerfully, her menacing tapping betraying her seemingly happy demeanour. The innkeeper, Jerry, swallowed.

"Well, Luna, y'know we're nots on the best of terms," he said, beads of sweat starting to form on his face. Luna laughed, a chilling noise filled with bitterness.

"And who's fault was that?"

"Wait, come on, what's going on?" Daisy demanded. Both Luna and Jerry turned to face her, blinking in surprise as if they'd just realized she was there. Luna tossed her head haughtily.

"Ask him," she growled, jerking her head towards the innkeeper, baring sharp teeth. Daisy turned to face the innkeeper questioningly. Jerry rubbed the back of his neck, looking more awkward than scared, before saying with a sigh, "My son, Peter. I-I guess you could say...he was the one who bit Luna."


	21. We're Off To See The Wizard (Vampire)!:D

**Nintendo owns everything I don't own:P Apart from Faian^^ and Twilight, which is owned by Stephanie Meyer :P**

Raven swooped through the open window, followed closely by Nastasia. The two shifted back to their human forms just as an attendant Koopa came running up, panting.

"My Lady," he gasped out. "The Queen requires your presence at the court." Raven blinked, surprised.

"Surely Faian and the others couldn't have arrived by now?"

The Koopa shook his head. "No, My Lady. The Queen just wishes for you to be close by. She said she has plans that she wishes to discuss with you. In private," he added, with a glance at Nastasia.

Raven sighed. "Very well," she said wearily, suddenly looking much older than her physical 21 years. "Nastasia," she added, glancing down at the secretary. "Could you please wait at the gates for Faian and the others? I would appreciate it if you guided them the rest of the way. I don't like the idea of Dimentio being left alone with Luna for too long, and I know Faian doesn't like that idea much either. Therefore, the sooner he is finished with his escorting duties, the sooner he can return to Luna," the vampire explained further. Nastasia nodded obediently.

"Whatever you want Raven." The attendant looked offended at the casual way Nastasia addressed the princess, but Raven just shrugged it off, continuing towards the court room, while Nastasia teleported away. The Koopa tagged along after the vampire. Raven glanced down at him.

"I believe I can find my way to my own castle's court room, Koopa," she said, with a hint of annoyance.

The Koopa bowed hastily, before backing away. "Of course, My Lady." Raven's eyes gleamed with anticipation as she headed silently away towards the court, leaving the Koopa cowering on the stone-cold floor.

* * *

Peach kept close to Mario's side, staring wide-eyed at the gloomy forest surrounding the cobble path. She shivered as a sudden caw sounded, with a flock of ravens taking off from the treetops with a loud flurry of squawks and flapping. She jumped, startled, blushing as Mario turned to face her questioningly.

"Everything alright, Princess?" She nodded, smiling in embarrassment.

"Yes. That flock of ravens just startled me, that's all," she assured him. Mario stared at her for a few more seconds, sympathy in his gaze, before turning to follow Faian, who was seemingly trying to tell them everything he knew about vampires in the short amount of time it was taking them to walk.

"Vampires normally live in pairs, or in groups called clans. These clans have a strict hierarchy, which makes them similar to werewolf packs. Some vampires, incidentally, also have the ability to change into wolves, though I've never known any vampire of the royal family choosing to do that. Some of them believe werewolves to be beneath them," Faian was lecturing. Mario piped up.

"So does that mean the whole Twilight thing is true? That vampires and werewolves hate each other's guts?" he asked. Faian rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, 'cause vampires sparkle and all werewolves have a six-pack," he retorted sarcastically. Peach glared at him.

"You don't have to be so nasty! It was an honest question," she snapped in a rare show of temper. Faian stared at her, before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, honestly. Normally, I'm not this snappy, but going to Nyx's castle," he shuddered. "It's enough to put anyone on edge," he finished wearily. Peach frowned at him.

"Does Nyx have something against weretigers as well?" Faian shook his head slowly.

"No. But…she's an intimidating woman. Dear Grambi, even Dimentio's nervous around her. And if something makes _him_ nervous, then, to be honest, it's got me scared witless," the weretiger admitted.

Mario blinked, interested despite himself. "Why's Dimentio so scared of her?"

Faian shrugged. "Beats me. Mind you, I heard royal vampires have some form of control over other species' emotions, so in theory, Nyx could make you feel whatever she wants. So maybe she's just toying with him for fun. That's another reason you have to be careful. In the Night Kingdom, anyone who personally insults a member of the royal family is immediately executed," he explained, ignoring Mario and Peach's shocked gasps. "So, if Nyx doesn't like you, she could just make you angry enough to insult her, at which point her personal guards will drag you away to be killed in the most painful ways possible. And no-one will condemn her actions, because it is the law," he finished icily. Peach and Mario exchanged horrified glances, the true depth of the Queen's cruelty beginning to dawn on them. Mario swallowed, before addressing the weretiger.

"What does she want with Luigi then?" Faian shrugged, beginning to look unnerved, the expression changing him to look more like a frightened boy.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "That's _if_ she was behind the kidnapping. Not all vampires follow the Night royals, just like not all Boos follow King Boo," he added. Mario nodded slowly in understanding. "But," Faian said suddenly, with a sorrowful look, "if Nyx is really behind the kidnapping, then I pray that Grambi has mercy on Luigi's soul," he whispered, sending shivers down both Mario and Peach's spines. They continued onwards in silence, stopping as Faian halted. "We're here," he said, looking up. Following his gaze, Mario and Peach could see a menacing black castle rising up in front of them, the tall spires stretching out like skeletal claws. Two huge wrought iron gates rose up, barring the entrance to what appeared to be the front gardens, though to Mario and Peach, it looked more suspiciously like a graveyard. Snarling gargoyles leaned over the gates, glaring down at the small party with hungry stone eyes. Peach shuddered, pressing closer to Mario, who squeezed her hand in comfort. The plumber turned his attention to Faian, who was crouching beneath the gate.

"How do we get in?" he asked. Faian looked up at the gargoyles.

"Oh, they know we're here. But, just in case," he suddenly grinned at Mario. "I advise you to stay back."

"Wha-," Mario leapt back with a shout as Faian disappeared underneath a coat of white striped fur, the shape reforming itself into a huge white tiger. As a tiger, Faian was massive, a mountain of fur and muscle, nothing like the slender, almost delicate, teenage boy. He bared his teeth at the gate, whiskers bristling, before unleashing a mighty roar. Mario's heart was hammering in his chest, the shock of the sudden transformation still raw.

"'K,'K no need to yell!" an annoyed voice suddenly sounded behind them, belonging to a small figure hidden in shadow. Turning around, he relaxed slightly as he recognized Nastasia, who was glaring at the tiger in annoyance. The tiger flicked his ears, a look that could only be described as smug on his feline face. Nastasia rolled her eyes. "Hey Faian, I'll take it from here, 'k?" she said. Peach jumped as Faian shifted back to his human form, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Why the sudden interest, Nassy?" She gave him a withering look, knowing that Faian knew she hated that nickname.

"Princess's orders. She thinks you'd rather go look after Luna than take these two up to Nyx," she replied coolly. Faian tilted his head, eyes gleaming.

"May Bonechill bless Raven's black soul," he replied with a hint of dark humour. Looking at Peach and Mario, he asked," You two still wanna do this?" Peach and Mario both nodded determinedly. He smiled. "Well then. I believe my work is done. Good luck on your search," he added, nodding at them, before turning his gaze on the secretary. He studied her for a moment, before saying," Good day to you to, Nastasia. Look after them well." And with that, he turned away. Peach blinked. Running back the way they had come was a large white tiger, lithe muscles working hard under his snowy pelt. Within a few seconds, he had vanished from view, swallowed up by the shadows of the forest.

* * *

Luigi crept quietly through the main bar, towards the exit, careful not to disturb the drunken patrons passed out on the floor. He guessed this door was the exit, since that was where the partygoers had entered earlier in the evening. Opening it, he saw that it led out to a narrow corridor, with a big set of heavy metal doors at the other end. His heart sank. _How am I going to open those?_ He shook his head. _Stay positive Luigi. You can't stay here._ With a look back at the shadowy bar, he closed the door behind him, setting off towards the exit. Opening them, he stopped dead at what he saw. The street in front of him looked like a cross between The Strip from Las Vegas and rush hour Tokyo. His mind whirled as he struggled to make sense of the chaotic swirl of flashing lights, the screams and laughter as people staggered past him, smelling strongly of alcohol. Shaking his head, trying to overcome the shock of the sudden colours, he vanished into the crowd. _At least it'll make it hard for Diddlesmith to follow me_, he thought to himself, feeling a faint hint of relief. As Luigi vanished into the partying crowd, a shape detached himself from the shadows of the narrow alleyway next to the club entrance. He smiled to himself, taking his mask off to track Luigi's progress through the crowd, his inhuman eyes missing nothing.

"Well, well, well little Luigi. It seems you're not getting away after all. What a lucky stroke for me as well, choosing this time to come back to this wretched club," Dimentio hissed to himself, sadistic pleasure dripping off every word. Putting his mask back on, he turned to the door, gazing at it with cold amusement. "And it seems I must pay a visit to the dear king as well, and inform him of this jailbreak, like a talking bathtub tattling on a magic potato." And with that, Dimentio teleported away, unnoticed by anyone on the street.

* * *

Luna continued to glare at Jerry, the innkeeper cowering under her gaze. Daisy blinked in astonishment.

"Oh, wow, that's…um…really awkward," she said, looking at the innkeeper and the werewolf. Luna tossed her head, a cruel smile dancing across her lips.

"No shit Daisy," she growled sarcastically. Daisy glared at Luna, who hadn't bothered looking at her.

"But that's no reason to take it out on him. He didn't bite you! And anyway it could've been an accident! Um…Peter was his name, was it?" She glanced at the innkeeper questioningly, who nodded. "Yeah Peter! He could've bitten you accidentally! You said it yourself, werewolves have a hard time controlling their temp-"

"That's enough!" Luna roared, her eyes blazing amber with raw fury. "Peter never meant it to be an accident! He, he," Luna blinked, all anger suddenly evaporating. She shook her head slowly, before saying wearily," Now's not the time. All I'm saying is that he did this to me on purpose, and Jerry there knows it." Daisy and Jerry were staring at her with wide-eyed astonishment. She met their gazes, a dull grief in her eyes. "I'm sorry to bother you Jerry. I'll leave now. And I'm sorry I took your chainsaw," she added, looking down at the tool still in her grasp. Putting it on the floor, she turned away.

"Wait!" Daisy grabbed her arm. Luna faced her questioningly.

"What now?"

"Aren't you going to teach me?"

"Trust me princess. You don't need me. Jerry'll do a better job. As for my last lesson, what you just saw? Never do that. And anyway, you seem to be getting on fine without me." She pulled away from Daisy, walking outside, where the moon, just a sliver in the sky, had risen. She looked at it, before running to the woods, her form rippling as she did, until there was a large sleek black wolf running at full tilt. She paused once at the edge of the forest, glancing back at the inn, before disappearing beyond view.

**Note: Dimmy's bad similes were constructed using words I got from a random word generator :P Because I had absolutely no inspiration the day I wrote this. So don't kill me over how bad it is :O PLEASE REVIEW I'M SO DESPERATE IT'S NOT FUNNY...or is it;) Nah, do whatever you except kill me. Peace-out y'all :D **


	22. If You Go Down To The Woods Today

**My God, it's been too long. Sorry for the wait guys, I've just been really busy. Stupid school -_- Anyways, hope you enjoy and review please. Hopefully the next chapter won't be too far away ;P **

**All characters who are not OC's (c) Nintendo**

**All OC's except Faian (c) Me**

**Faian (c) Weretiger Princess**

**Enjoy XD**

King Diddlesmith trudged wearily down the winding corridor of his home, the conversation with Nyx's Duplighost messenger still weighing heavily on his mind. He shook his head, pausing to rest against the wall as he let out a deep bone-weary sigh. _Oh Luigi, I didn't think it would ever come to this. That this is what Nyx was planning all along. _A quiet cough sounded. The Koopa opened his eyes to see Dimentio floating in front of him, looking smug, as usual.

"Dimentio! You're back!" Diddlesmith exclaimed, surprised to see the jester looking healthy and non-feline. Dimentio nodded shortly by way of greeting, then said,

"My Lord Diddlesmith, have you noticed that your precious Luigi has wandered off?" The Koopa went deathly pale, his scales turning from gold to a pale ashy grey.

"What?!"

Dimentio did a small flip, inspecting the Koopa from his newfound angle. "He's missing. As lost as a toddler in a very large ball pit."

Diddlesmith shook his head angrily. "Dimentio! I know what the word 'lost' entails! Stop fooling around and just tell me where he is!" he snarled. Dimentio floated higher, narrowing his eyes.

"The Main Street. I lost him in the crowds." The jester shrugged, looking unconcerned. "Sorry," he said, not sounding very sorry at all. The Koopa swore loudly, purple smoke beginning to waft from his jaws. He looked down the corridor, then back to the throne room, deciding what to do. Suddenly, a thought struck him. He smiled slyly, eyes gleaming, as he turned back to Dimentio.

"Y'know what Dimentio? You can go find him for me, and bring him back here. You were, after all, the last one to see him, so of course, you'd be the only one with any idea of where to look," the Koopa decided calmly.

Dimentio narrowed his eyes. "And if I am not in the mood to bring him back?"

Diddlesmith examined his claws. "I would hate for tales of your disobedience to get back to Nyx. Dear Grambi, what would Raven think of you, not even listening to her dear godfather?" he gasped with mock horror. Dimentio stood stock still, not moving. Something flashed in his eyes, but only for a fleeting moment, before he smiled.

"Oh, my Lord, how could you ever think I would _actually_ disobey you? Perish the thought!" the jester smiled, sugared venom dripping from every syllable. King Diddlesmith smiled like a wolf, forked tongue flicking out for a moment.

"I'm glad you've regained your senses Dimentio. But, before you leave, I'll send someone to accompany you. Luigi, obviously, is not going to be very willing to come back of his own accord, and you can't use your powers against him, so…you have no choice anyways," he finished bluntly. Dimentio sighed minutely.

"And who is the person lucky enough to accompany me?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm peppering his words.

The Koopa smiled knowingly. "She's…sorta hard to describe. She's one of those people that are just hard to pin down y'know? Anyways, why don't you go on ahead and be a good little psycho jester thing. She'll meet you outside, 'K?" The Koopa finished with a sweet smile.

Dimentio sighed. "Anything for you, _my_ _Lord_."

* * *

The rabbit hopped slowly along, pausing every so often to nibble at the tasty tidbits of grass the meadow offered. Something, a scent or sound, caused it to suddenly lift its head, distracted from its snack to stare fearfully out at the surrounding woods. A predator lurked out there somewhere, the rabbit was sure of it. A snap from the woods made it bolt in fear, but it was too late. The shadow exploded out of the bushes, low to the ground and snarling with hunger as it tore into the rabbit. The poor creature didn't have a chance, its scream cut off as the wolf snapped its neck with a vicious crunch of her jaws, nearly decapitating the animal. She swung her head up, dropping the dead rabbit, as she listened intently to the surrounding forest, sure there was another predator shadowing her. She growled defiantly at the thought, the feral possessiveness for her prey fuelling her anger, already heightened by the conversation about Peter and the bloodlust from the hunt. Snatching the rabbit up, she dashed off into the woods, her humanity slowly fading away with each silent paw step.

* * *

Daisy sat miserably by the window, staring out of it blankly as her thoughts wandered. Luna, wolves, _Luigi. Dear Grambi, what would Luigi think of me now? _She thought fearfully. _I hope he's ok_. She sighed softly to herself, the all-too familiar haze of sadness settling over her mind and being. Slumping lower in her couch, and trying to avoid looking at the moon, she looked at the forest, specifically the spot where Luna had vanished. She shook her head, guilt gnawing at her. _Why, oh why did I not shut up? Now your only possible teacher has gone, and I don't think she's coming back anytime soon. Way to go Daisy, _she thought sarcastically to herself, burrowing her face in a pillow. The soft thumping of heavy paws woke her from her self-induced misery and she raised her head just in time to catch sight of Faian shifting back from his tiger form. He hurried over to the door, yanking it open, and peered inside, catching sight of an empty front counter and a startled princess staring back at him. He raised his head, narrowing his eyes.

"Where's Luna and Dimentio?" he demanded, staring at Daisy. She bristled at his tone, glaring back.

"Dimentio went back and Luna…um," Daisy trailed off, looking away, not sure how to explain. Faian sighed minutely.

"Okay, how angry was she on a scale of 1 to 10?" the weretiger queried. Daisy blinked, confused.

"What?"

Faian grimaced. "I've known her for a long time, and she's got a short fuse. Not cut-out to be a teacher. So, where'd she run off to?"

Daisy blinked again, before shaking her head to clear her confusion. "That way." She pointed towards the direction the wolf had run off in. Faian whipped around, shifting back again instantaneously, the huge white tiger crouching as he prepared to take off.

"Wait!" Daisy rushed out before the cat could run off again. He looked back at her, one ear flattened questioningly. "Um…Could I come with you? 'Cause it's sorta my fault Luna ran off…" The princess looked down, ashamed. She nearly fell over as Faian brushed against her, before lying down, gesturing with a flick of his long striped tail that she should climb on his back. Daisy stood stock-still for a moment, blinking in shock, before hopping on awkwardly, trying not to tug on his fur. With a flick of his ears, he took off, running so fast Daisy held on tighter, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't know how long they'd been running, but as soon as she heard the tiger's breath becoming laboured and felt his sides heave with the effort of running, she opened her eyes and looked around. They were deep in the woods now, trees surrounding them and stretching as far as the eye could see, their green canopies colouring the forest a healthy shade of green. Daisy could hear a stream running far off and smell the vibrant presence of life _everywhere._ In the trees, lurking among bushes, even underneath the soil. Shaking her head, feeling slightly overwhelmed, she returned her attention back to the exhausted tiger, who had now flopped down, panting as if he were in the middle of the Sahara desert. "Faian, you need to rest. It's ok, Luna can probably take care of herself for a little while longer," she said as she slid off his back. Faian didn't answer. Instead, the tiger flopped down and began to groom, looking, for all the world, like a gigantic tabby cat. Daisy smiled at the sight, before doodling absentmindedly in the dirt with a stick. The tiger stopped licking, staring at Daisy's drawings with an intense blue gaze. Daisy stared back warily, stopping. "Could you stop doing that?" she snapped, feeling uncomfortable. The tiger stretched luxuriously. Daisy could swear he was smiling. "What? What's so funny?" she demanded, feeling annoyed now.

Faian padded over silently, gazing at the doodle for a while, before looking at her and saying, rather innocently, "Nothing." Daisy nearly dropped the stick.

"Wait, since when did you talk?"

"Since always," the tiger replied casually, flicking his tail. "You're a therianthrope, so you can understand others of your own kind, even when they're in their animal forms."

"A what?"

The tiger sighed exaggeratedly. "A therianthrope is a fancy word for wereanimal, or werecreature, or whatever else you want to call it," he muttered, sounding tired.

"Oh."

A sudden howl erupted from somewhere deeper in the forest, followed by several long yelping wails. Faian was up like a flash, head tilted to listen as the animal noises faded into silence.

"Come on," he growled, muzzle wrinkling as he bared his fearsome canines. "I think we've found Luna."

* * *

"He is coming."

Nyx spoke quietly, not showing any emotion. Raven sighed.

"Who? And will you finally tell me why we went to the bother of kidnapping Luigi? You know very well that we could have risked a war with the Mushroom Kingdom," the Princess growled. Nyx smirked cruelly, her icy eyes dancing.

"Oh Raven, do not speak to me of war. Had I wished it, I would have crushed those snivelling fungi centuries ago, just like the ancient Tribes. But then, where else would I get sacrifices for _him_?" Raven blinked, startled.

"Sacrifices?"

"Yes…"Nyx smiled again, looking down at her daughter from her throne. "Which brings us back to the topic of Luigi." Raven narrowed her eyes, a bad feeling beginning to grow in the pit of her stomach.

"Would you kindly tell me, dear Mother?"

Nyx smirked.

"Don't waste such titles on me, _Daughter_," she spat venomously, so much so that Raven flinched. Ignoring her daughter's distress, she continued: "Every 1000 years, the arrival of the Blood Moon awakens certain…riff-raff from the other worlds. At the dawn of time, when the Overthere and the Underwhere were separated from the other earthly dimensions, certain races were assigned to be the guardians of each realm." The Night Queen narrowed her eyes at her daughter, who listened intently. "No doubt you remember this story from your early history lessons when you were younger, correct?" Raven nodded. "Good. Well then, you know that a certain young Nimbi named Haimah rebelled against Grambi, causing division in the Overthere, so much so that Jaydes stepped in to imprison him in the Underwhere up until recent times. In the process, he was, of course, transformed into the monster Bonechill. However, one aspect of Grambi's War that the lessons fail to cover is the cause. The true cause," she added as Raven opened her mouth. She closed it, all her attention focussed on the Queen. Nyx smiled faintly.

"There was one other dimension created when the Overthere and the Underwhere were created." Raven's eyes widened as Nyx continued, raising her gaze to meet her daughter's. "The Void. The World of Shadows, where neither time flows, nor space expands. It is the absence of everything. Thought, emotion, _life_. However, a creature still rules this bleak place, and that is the certain riff-raff I was referring to." Raven narrowed her eyes, her sharp mind working.

"And I take the guess that this so-called _ruler _is coming to our world to destroy it."

Nyx nodded, unsurprised by her daughter's conclusion.

"Yes. And that is where Luigi comes in. You see Raven, this beast has threatened our world before, when his hunger for life lured him out of the shadows. However, his desire has been sated before by a sacrifice of his choice. Last time, he arrived a bit early, called into being by Bleck. However, the destruction of the Chaos Heart and Bleck and Timpani's sacrifice quenched his thirst for a time. But he grows hungrier by the day, demanding another sacrifice."

"And this time, it's Luigi, isn't it?" Raven finished in a deathly quiet voice. Nyx nodded, as cold as ever.

"Yes, daughter. He shall be sacrificed on the next Blood Moon to Nightchill, Lord Of The Abyss. Or The Beast shall ravage this world with the armies of the Dead at his side. And if it comes to that," a quiet shudder passed through Nyx as she spoke, the first sincere emotion she'd displayed, "then this world is doomed. There is no other possible fate for those who oppose the Friend of the Damned."


	23. You'd Better Go In Disguise

**Yeah, I'm probably not going to be updating for a while after this, sorry guys :( But, thank you all to the very kind, considerate people reviewing and supporting this story, namely Weretiger Princess, 999 the 9th and LoupDuCrepuscule XD Means a lot guys :)**

**OC's (c) Me**

**Everyone else (c) Nintendo**

"Come on guys, hurry up," Nastasia barked back at Mario and Peach as they struggled to keep up with her rapid pace as she led them through the winding corridors of Nyx's castle. Peach was only half-paying attention to where they were going, too morbidly fascinated by the gruesome and shadowy pictures adorning the stone walls. Skulls, demons and what looked suspiciously like half-decayed children stared back at her from the frames, their empty sockets hauntingly sad. With a shudder, she returned her attention back to Nastasia, only to be distracted again by the huge double doors looming in front of her. Stone gargoyles leered unpleasantly at the group from either side of the wooden doors, which were completely black apart from the painting of a huge, shadowy black serpentine dragon rising from what looked like a purple-black pit. It seemed to be wreathed with blue fire and green lightning as it reached upwards for an object that looked suspiciously like…

"Isn't that the Chaos Heart?" Mario queried, stopping to take in the mural. Nastasia paused to take a closer look at the painting, adjusting her glasses.

"I suppose it could be," she admitted, not sounding very interested. Mario cocked his head to one side.

"What's a picture of it doing here? And what's with the dragon?"

"I don't know!" snapped Nastasia, sounding stressed. "You have an appointment to get to! You can't waste any more time questioning the queen's taste in art!" And with that, the annoyed secretary pushed open the double doors, motioning for them to hurry up. Mario sighed and followed, but Peach hesitated, horribly fascinated by the beast. Its red eyes bored into hers, and she could almost imagine the ebony scaled body writhing, twisting and coming to life, the huge horned head leaning down to stare at her. A forked tongue darted out, touching her cheek in an almost seductive way. A distant voice sounded in her mind. _You have come…_

"Peach!" The princess snapped out of it, startled to see Mario walking towards her, looking worried. "Are you ok? I called your name at least five times." Peach shook her head.

"Ye-yeah I'm fine. That picture's just a bit _too_ realistic for my liking," she said, attempting humour. Mario glared at the painting, the dragon curled and harmless against the door.

"Yeah, well, it seems this Nyx lady needs to get her interior decorating sorted out. And her taste in art borders on _creepy,_" the plumber growled under his breath. "Come on, let's go. Sooner we find Luigi, the sooner we can get out of this madhouse." Peach, who normally would have rebuked him for insults, was inclined to agree with him. They both continued after Nastasia, who was far ahead and waiting at the next door by the time they caught up to her. Mario attempted to make small conversation.

"So Nastasia, um, how long have you been working for…the Queen?" Mario had hesitated, as if not sure what to call Nyx. Nastasia answered without slowing down.

"Before and after the events where we met," she replied shortly.

"Oh, and how can you turn yourself into a Swoop?" Mario asked.

"My original form _is _a Swoop. Most Swoops work for the vampire royalty. The old fighting group, The Wings of Night, used to be the royal family's personal guard. Incidentally , lower-class vampires can also transform into bats and wolves, though the royal family can shapeshift into a wider range of creatures. I only was able to transform after meeting…the Count." She stumbled on the last words, as if she was about to cough and had stopped herself at the last minute.

"Lower-class?" Peach asked, curious. Nastasia coughed again.

"Vampires that were originally humans," she clarified.

"So the vampire royals?"

"Were born vampires. And so are the other upper-class members of vampire society, though they're not as powerful as Nyx and her immediate family."

The conversation lapsed into silence after this, Mario and Peach mulling over what they had just heard. It was only when they stopped in front of a huge set of ornate steel doors, decorated with an intricate painting of a huge horned owl holding a flaming arrow in its beak, then Nastasia announced, "We're here."

* * *

Raven trudged wearily out of the doors, leaning against the wall as exhaustion overwhelmed her. It had been a couple of days since she had last fed, and it was starting to get to her. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh, before opening them again, the sound of footsteps echoing outside the double doors. _So the heroes have arrived, have they?_ She narrowed her eyes, hearing the heartbeats and scenting the tension among the group. Shaking her long dark curtain of hair out, she smiled to herself, the old predatory feelings starting to course through her. _Well then, I should be in the proper form to welcome them then_, she thought slyly to herself, shifting just as the door opened. Nastasia came in first, talking hurriedly to Mario and Peach about etiquette and vampire culture. She stopped as she caught sight of the small black cat sitting calmly by the door, green eyes glittering as it stared at them. Nastasia curtsied hurriedly.

"Raven," she gasped out. "I'm so sorry we're late, really-," Nastasia was cut off as Raven trotted towards them, tail waving in the air. She stared at Nastasia for a few seconds before turning her penetrating gaze on Mario and Peach. Mario was looking at Nastasia questioningly, while Peach simply stared back.

"Raven?" he enquired. Nastasia glared at him.

"Raven , I mean, _Princess_ Raven, is the daughter of Nyx. She is the second most powerful vampire in existence, so I'd show a little," the secretary trailed off as she noticed Peach petting the black cat, who was purring with content. "Hey, don't touch her!" Nastasia protested. Mario blinked.

"But she's a cat, not a vampire," he said at the same time as Peach retorted, "She likes it, can't you see?" Raven had rolled over, batting at the air with tiny velvet paws.

"Awww, you're so cute!" the princess exclaimed, rubbing the cat's stomach. Raven rolled over, staring at Nastasia triumphantly, before she hissed and slashed at Peach, cutting open her glove and drawing blood. Peach jumped back with a cry, raising her hand as blood dripped on the floor, staining her white gloves red. At the same time, the cat contorted, body twisting as it rose up from the floor, shadows writhing around it. A woman emerged, looking to be in her late teens or early twenties, with long shiny black hair and brilliant green eyes, exactly like the cat's. Mario's eyes blazed as he recognized her.

"You!" he snarled, starting forward. Quick as a flash, Raven grabbed Peach, pulling her towards the other side of the room. Her nails dug into Peach, causing her to gasp with pain as the vampire's eyes blazed ruby-red, her fangs bared as she hissed at Mario.

"Don't come any closer if you want her back in one piece," she snapped, her demonic eyes sparking. She glared at Nastasia. "Get him."

Mario whipped around, but it was too late. Nastasia had already attacked him with the energy ropes, knocking him to the floor and rendering him helpless. The most he could do was glare up at the vampire as she stalked over, still dragging a struggling Peach along with her. She nodded to Nastasia, avoiding Mario's gaze. "Take them in." And the vampire and her secretary marched the pair in through the black and silver doors, deaf to their cries and screams.

* * *

Dimentio floated outside, staring grumpily at the crowd going past. He was waiting in a small side-alley next to the main building of the club, avoiding the large crowds that were a permanent feature of the Main Street of Koopa City. He looked around impatiently. _When's this new minion getting here? I may be criminally insane, but at least I'm on time_.

"Di-Dimentio?" a hesitant voice sounded from behind him. He froze. _No, no it can't be. That voice. _Nothing in this world could have prepared Dimentio for meeting _her_ again, not when he'd repeated to himself, in those dark shadowy crevasses of the Underwhere, that he'd never see her again. He slowly turned around. There, standing between two dustbins, was Mimi. She was staring at him as if all her nightmares were coming true at once. Dimentio was sure he looked the same, floating in midair, staring at the small shape-shifter with his mouth hanging open. Mimi was stammering

"I, um, you, here," she managed to squeak out, her green face pale and trembling. She took an uncertain step backwards as Dimentio floated forwards.

"Why are you here?" he demanded sharply, regaining control of his senses. Mimi whimpered, backing up against the bare concrete wall. Her green eyes were fixed on him, horror and fear plain in her gaze. The jester narrowed his eyes, stopping. They stared at each other for a long while. Finally, Mimi spoke hesitantly.

"King Diddlesmith sent me. I'd-I'd heard that Luigi was lost and he needed help finding him. He said I'd be searching with someone but I never…expected this…" she trailed off, looking away. Dimentio inched closer, trying to look harmless, but Mimi snapped her head up, trembling furiously. Without a word, she turned and ran, retreating back into the shadowy recesses of the alley. Dimentio swore and tore after her, trying to navigate in the darkness of the alley. He halted suddenly, an uneasy feeling beginning to prickle his neck. He turned around slowly. The area was unfamiliar, the Main Street gone. The shadows lengthened, seeming to move…or was that just his imagination? He shook his head furiously. He, Dimentio, wasn't prone to letting his imagination run wild, nor did he allow fear to rule him. Yet here he was, in the middle of an alley, surrounded by nothing but dustbins and spiders, Mimi's distant kin, feeling like the world was about to come to an end. And not in a good way.

"Mimi?" he called out, hating the way his voice shook. But his thoughts were clogging his mind, dark shadows clawing at his deepest fears. A fierce bolt of pain lanced through him, causing him to cry out and drop to the cold concrete floor, holding his head, feeling as if a thousand tiny knives were constantly stabbing at his skull. A noise sounded, before he felt something dig under his chin and force his head up, forcing him to look at the source of his agony. Violet eyes, flecked with specks of brilliant yellow, looked into his. They blinked slowly, showing no emotion at his suffering. Suddenly, the pain stopped. He raised himself up slowly, blinking, confused. He looked at the thing that owned the pair of eyes he had seen, but the rest of them were hidden in shadow. Did it save him? What should he do? Should he thank the stranger? Slowly he sat up, resting in his knees as he looked at the eyes which gleamed in the darkness. Suddenly, a high cruel laugh sounded, and the figure stepped out, revealing itself. Her yellow-violet eyes gleamed with mirth as she tossed her curtain of black hair, tipped with violet at the ends, the same colour as her eyes. She wore what looked like a gothic Lolita jester's outfit, green and purple with a three-pointed hat tipped with what looked like skull shaped bells. She clutched something in her right hand, a small pearl-like ball, with what appeared to be multi-coloured mist wreathing inside, slowly changing colours every now and then. But the thing that struck Dimentio the most was the pointed ears sticking out from underneath her hat, and the long, bushy tail that snaked out from under her dress. She stalked over to him, dragging him up, before looking at him with contempt.

"Diddlesmith told me you couldn't use magic, but I expected more from the great Master of Dimensions," she hissed scathingly. She circled him, her tail waving excitedly as the jester tried to regain his senses. He watched her dully, following her progress. She stopped, noticing that he was looking at her. "Did you really expect your darling Mimi to really stop by and see you? Did you miss her that much?" she laughed mockingly, revealing small, gleaming-white fangs. Dimentio paid no attention. He blinked.

"What are you?" The girl stopped abruptly, looking astonished.

"What am I?" she repeated. Dimentio nodded dully. The girl seemed to swell with rage, her tail bristling and her eyes turning pitch-black. She leapt forward, her form seeming to ripple, revealing the form of a huge fox, jet-black with multiple, purple-tipped tails. It landed on Dimentio's chest, pinning him to the ground as it bared a mouthful of sharp, white fangs, screeching in his face. A voice howled in his mind. _HOW DARE YOU? WHAT AM I? IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN COME UP WITH? I, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, AM A KITSUNE, A SHAPE-SHIFTER LIKE YOUR DARLING MIMI!_ _But_-the voice stopped suddenly, and the fox shifted back into the girl. She was looking at him with an odd expression on her face as she leaned forward and sniffed him. Dimentio, who was finally starting to come back to his senses, noticed that this was unusual to say the least, a young woman sitting on his chest and sniffing him. His lip curled as he stared at her venomously, but she seemed not to notice, too busy working her way around him. He hissed.

"Excuse me-" The girl looked up, suddenly, and leapt off him lightly, the movement quick and soundless. She surveyed him for a while, eyes glittering, before speaking.

"Well come on! We're not going to find Luigi by lying on the concrete all day, are we?" She said, perfectly cheerful as if she hadn't tried to tear his throat out 5 seconds ago. Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed the jester's hand and pulled him along back to the Main Street, the bells on her hat jingling merrily. Dimentio, too bewildered to do much else, followed.

**PS. If you don't know what a kitsune is, Google it ;P To put it in short, they're a type of shape-shifting fox spirit from Japan. And they're amazing XD**

**Please review :)**


	24. Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

**Meep. Short chapter is short :O I've decided to write shorter chapters from now on, mainly focussing on one group at a time ^^ So yeah, please don't kill me. Also, I came back earlier than expected from my supposed hiatus. Mainly because it's the holidays, but there probably won't be much updates once school starts again in a couple of days :'( **

**Enjoy, please review ^_^**

**Luna (c) Me**

**Faian (c) Weretiger Princess**

**Daisy (c) Nintendo**

The wolf's muzzle wrinkled, baring teeth as a low growl rumbled through her chest, a clear warning to the two juvenile wolves slinking closer, their hungry eyes fixed on her prize. Luna bristled, her hackles rising along her spine as she eyed the other two werewolves warily. They were both males, not much older than her by the looks of it, but they both had the build of powerful alphas, and Luna didn't think she could take them both on at the same time. Nevertheless, she snarled bravely, though the two males, one a normal grey-brown, and the other pale silver, ignored her bravado, the larger silver one pausing to snarl mockingly back at her. Luna crouched, readying herself as the other two wolves bristled, their yellow eyes fixed on her prize. She snarled, too stubborn to give up her snack. The others didn't need any provocation. They leapt, jaws open, canines gleaming as Luna reared up, meeting them with her own powerful jaws. The smaller grey-brown one cannonballed into her chest while the larger one grabbed her by her scruff, pulling her backwards as the small wolf snapped at her belly, blood flying. Luna lashed out furiously, her rage lending her strength as her claws connected with the small wolf's head. She couldn't shift into her half form, the wolves would tear her apart if she tried, leaving her no choice but to fight with four sets of claws and her teeth. But she was losing. The others were too big and powerful, plus the silver one had her immobilized, pinning her down while the smaller wolf shredded her belly, black fur and red blood flying. Thinking fast, she twisted her head around, grabbing hold of the silver wolf's foreleg in her jaws. He yelped, caught off guard as she bit deeply, feeling the bone crunch in her jaws. His whines turned to a shriek, the howl echoing through the forest as he prised desperately at Luna's jaws, snapping at her face with his teeth. But the black she-wolf wouldn't let go, as stubborn as a bulldog, her growls growing steadily fainter as the blood flowed, her lycanthropic healing useless against the injuries inflicted by a fellow werewolf. The other wolf, finally noticing his friend's predicament, leapt to his aid, but was sent yelping back into the undergrowth as Luna lashed out with a powerful kick from her hind paws, her claws tearing a large gash that ran down from his eye to his neck. Blood flowed, bright red against grey, as he howled, in pain or calling for reinforcements, Luna didn't care. She held on to the silver wolf's forepaw for dear life, refusing to let go, even as she felt her body go numb. It would be so easy. She couldn't even feel the horrendous pain in her belly any more. Her eyes began to shut slowly, the blazing amber beginning to fade…

A furious roar woke her, her eyes widening as she caught sight of a huge white paw connect with the silver wolf's head, the five claws nearly tearing his face off as he flew across the clearing, crashing into a tree trunk with a sickening crunch. He slid to the ground, where he lay motionless. Luna blinked slowly, her brain too fuzzy to comprehend anything. Something sniffed her, running up her neck, before a rough tongue began licking her. She closed her eyes, relaxing into the rhythmic feel. The licking became faster, more insistent, until she felt soft breath blow against her muzzle. She blinked her eyes open again, a cloudy amber meeting ice blue. The white tiger growled low, licking her face tenderly, fear and pain glittering in his blue eyes. She whimpered quietly, almost inaudible. The tiger moaned softly, his eyes burning, burying his face into her fur. She licked his cheek weakly, the gesture saying more than any words could. Fingers suddenly clutched her scruff, a hand stroking down her neck. Luna snarled instinctively, writhing around to snap at the hand, startled by the sudden contact. Faian glanced up, looking surprised as Daisy snatched her hand back, glaring indignantly at the werewolf.

"Look, I'm only trying to help! There's no need to try and bite my hand off, I'm not the one who attacked you!" The princess snapped sharply, but Luna had already slipped into unconsciousness. Faian had scrambled back when the black wolf had growled, but he crept back as the anger vanished from Daisy's gaze. Without a word, the princess knelt next to the werewolf, and began to tear strips from her dress, patting them on to the wolf's belly, helping to staunch the blood flow.

She glared at Faian, her anger returning.

"Don't just stand there, help me!"

The tiger jumped to life, shifting back to his human form in surprise. He crouched next to Daisy, who was tightening the strips of cloth around Luna's belly, trying her best to stop the blood flowing, the yellow fabric already turning a muddy red. The princess's brow was creased with worry, her dark blue eyes shining.

"Daisy, stop." Faian put his hand over hers and gently moved it away. Daisy snarled, her teeth shining in the gathering gloom.

"What are you doing?!"

"We need to get Luna to the town. Her injuries aren't healing because those were werewolves who attacked her. And they'll be coming back with their buddies, and I don't wanna be here when they see what I did to their friend," he whispered hurriedly, glancing with a grimace at the silver wolf's body. Only, it wasn't a wolf anymore. A young man lay where the wolf once was, his body covered in claw marks. His head was twisted at an odd angle as his wide empty eyes stared up at the sky, blood crusting the larger claw wounds inflicted by Faian. Silver-white hair fanned across the ground, stained red and brown by the earth and blood, the half-moon causing the strands to glow faintly. The flower princess stared at the body with wide-eyed horror, her hand covering her mouth. Faian looked at her sadly, turning her away from the gruesome sight gently. "I'm sorry this happened to you. Truly, I am. I wouldn't wish this life on anyone, this endless cycle of blood and fighting," he murmured, returning his attention to the injured wolf. Her sides fluttered gently, the only sign she was still alive. Daisy looked at the felinthrope, her eyes shining in the light of the moon, fear beginning to glitter in their sapphire depths. Faian smirked without any humour, glancing up at her. "According to wolf law, those wolves had every right to kill Luna on the spot. She was a stranger hunting in their territory without permission from the pack alpha. It's a sign of disrespect, so they were only defending their territory and rights." He looked down again. "In fact, I'm the criminal here, killing one unprovoked. "Daisy's widened in indignant disbelief.

"Unprovoked?! Those wolves were tearing her apart! Two against one isn't fair! You were only defending her!" the princess protested angrily, her eyes starting to glow yellow. The weretiger smirked in response.

"That doesn't count for anything in a therian's world. The right thing for me to do would have been for me to stand back and let them get on with it. I'm a tiger. I have no place in wolf politics. Also Daisy, I think I need to help you. You really need to control your temper, you realise? If you look at Luigi with eyes like that, you can count on not taking any nice moonlit walks in the park with him anytime soon," he grinned slyly, eyes glittering with mirth as he noticed a blush creep up Daisy's cheeks.

"Yeah, well at least I have someone who I would consider taking a walk in the park at night with," she retorted, smirking with satisfaction as Faian blinked, the traitorous colour creeping up his cheeks. He opened his mouth to snap back, when a low lone howl echoed through the forest. Another one answered, more joining in, until it became apparent that there was a whole pack chorusing along, the eerie harmonies making the hairs on the two therians' necks stand straight up. Faian sprang into action, gently lifting Luna up. The wolf was a deadweight, having slipped into unconsciousness during their chat. He glanced at Daisy. "Stay back. I'll shift, and you and Luna can ride on my back."

Daisy blinked with surprise and concern. "Are you sure? Won't both of us be too heavy?"

Faian smirked. "You really need to have some faith, Daisy," he grinned humourlessly, his eyes already starting to glow blue.

Daisy nodded reluctantly, her hands trembling as Faian shifted, bones snapping, white fur rippling until a large formidable white tiger stood where the handsome boy once was. At once, the Sarasaland princess dashed to where Luna lay, the wolf's flanks still fluttering as she fought against her injuries. She lifted her, the wolf surprisingly light, and laid her out carefully on Faian's back, before hopping up behind her, just behind Faian's powerful shoulders. With a flick of his ears, he was off, Daisy clutching Luna and the tiger's fur, trying to concentrate on not falling off. Faian pounded silently through the forest, Daisy on high alert, listening for the sound of the approaching wolves with her newly sensitive hearing. She placed a hand on Luna's chest, trying to feel for a heartbeat. It was there, steady but faint. Her eyelids lowered, the light gone from her blue eyes for a moment. _Oh Grambi, let her get better_, she prayed silently, stroking the wolf's thick fur as she raised her gaze to the half-moon, its silver light shining down on the unlikely trio.


	25. The Fox and the Hound

**Okay, I think this is definitely the last update for a while, since school starts tomorrow -_- Hope y'all like, and please review, it helps me know how well I'm going with this ^^**

**Luigi, Daisy and the MK (c) Nintendo**

**Nancy, King Diddlesmith, unnamed kitsune and the mentioned locations (c) Me**

Luigi hurried down the sidewalk, trying his best to blend in with the crowd. His tuxedo wasn't helping, with drunken merrymakers occasionally stopping and pointing at him, with some sniggering snide comments. He sighed, annoyance flickering through him momentarily before he remembered the direness of his situation. He looked up worriedly, the skyscrapers on either side gleaming in the neon brightness of the street lights. He couldn't see a sign or a map, no clues as to where he was and how he could get back home. _Home_. Homesickness coursed through him, the sudden grief nearly forcing him to stop and sit down by the sidewalk in his misery. He shook it off, angrily wiping away the tears that had begun to form in his eyes and set off again. _If there was just a sign, maybe even some sort of tourist centre_, he thought to himself, his keen eyes keeping an eye out for any clue. _Aha!_ A small building, covered in neon lights like the rest of the city, was nestled between a large, Greek-themed casino and a very old, but grand-looking, hotel. A blue information sign flashed in front of it, marking it out as a tourist information centre. Luigi ran to it, pushing awkwardly through the crowd, until coming up to the door, pushing through it into the centre. A small bell jingled from somewhere in the shop, which was surprisingly empty and dark compared to outside, with little touristy trinkets and plush dolls lining the shelves. A car number plate-style sign hung up next to the empty counter declared King Diddlesmith's domain to be Las Carcel, one of the main cities in the kingdom of Dratuga, apparently. Luigi blinked at it for second, fresh anxiety coursing through him. He'd never heard of a kingdom called Dratuga, much less a city known as Las Carcel. He looked around, searching for any maps. A revolving stand next to the counter seemed stocked with pamphlets, all advertising different forms of entertainment and things to do in the city. Deciding that was his best bet, he walked over hurriedly and searched, trying to find any clue telling him where exactly in the Mushroom World he was.

"Babe, you okay?" A voice sounded from behind him, thickly Southern and feminine sounding. Luigi jumped startled, turning around and blushing furiously as a slender, young blonde wearing a cowboy hat came prowling up beside him, her sky-blue eyes gleaming in the light. She looked at him with a shopkeeper's concern, wondering if he needed help. Luigi fumbled with the pamphlets, stammering as he tried to explain.

"Oh, no, I-I'm fine," he mumbled, trying to stuff the pamphlets back into their stand, nervous sweat breaking out over his skin. The shopkeeper looked unconvinced, raising a thin blonde eyebrow as she watched him wrestle with the stand. "Actually, no wait, you can help me!" Luigi yelled suddenly, remembering what he needed. The shopkeeper took a nervous step back, looking like she was considering throwing him back out. "Please, do you have a map? Actually, do you know how to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom from here?" Luigi asked frantically, nearly begging on the floor in his desperation.

The attendant took another step back, an uncertain expression on her narrow face. "Mushroom Kingdom? That's a mighty long way away now, in'it? Man, you've come an awful long way just to see Diddlesmith's humble lil' village. Well, I've actually never had to deal with tourists from your part of the world before, but I do know that the Mushroom Kingdom is north-west of here, though you'd have a mighty long train ride to get there," she said, scratching her head.

"Oh yes, thank you!" Luigi cried, pulling her into a tight hug.

The shopkeeper froze up, before awkwardly patting the plumber's back. "Oh, no need to thank me, eager beaver. We really that bad?"

Luigi blinked, releasing the shopkeeper as he realized what he was doing. He blushed again, praying that the shopkeeper wouldn't notice. "Oh, no no, it was just, um, I wasn't expecting to be…here," he stammered, trying to explain.

The belle's confused expression cleared up as she grinned. "Oh, I see! College friends pulled a prank on you, didn't they?"

Luigi rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that," he mumbled awkwardly. The lass smiled, walking back to her counter.

"Well sugar, if you're that eager to get home and pull yer revenge prank, can't keep you waiting here any longer. What train d'you wanna catch?"

"Um, what's the first one out?"

"Man, somebody's really fired up fer revenge! Well, the next one leaves in about an hour, though you wouldn't be reaching Toad Town until Friday."

"Oh, I'll take that one!" Luigi exclaimed, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. He'd checked before he'd started his shift that he had his wallet, and he was relieved beyond measure that his foresight had possibly saved his life. "Wait," he said, looking up. "What day is it today?"

"Early hours of Wednesday, darlin'," the lady replied cheerfully, typing something into an ancient computer. _If the Blue Moon Ball was on Thursday, then that means that I've been missing for, what, nearly a week?! _Luigi thought to himself, shocked.

"That'll be 75 coins please." Luigi was interrupted from his shocked thoughts by the cashier holding her hand out for the money. He rummaged in his wallet, pulling out his credit card.

"Do you take credit?"

"Yup." The lady took his card and slid through the transaction machine, holding it back out for him to enter his pin. He had just finished entering it when a bell chimed, announcing another visitor to the shop. The shopkeeper looked up, a smile on her face, ready to greet the customer, when she froze suddenly, her blue eyes widening. Luigi turned around, wondering what had caused the lady's reaction, when he too froze. Standing before him, her yellow gown billowing in the breeze from the open door and her deep blue eyes shining with delight was Princess Daisy. Luigi stood frozen to the spot for a second, before rushing to her, dropping his wallet in his haste to be with her. Daisy hitched up her skirts, pacing forward to meet him, when a monstrous voice screamed "STOP!" The plumber halted in his shock, though Daisy kept advancing towards him, ignoring the harsh noise completely. Luigi turned around and yelped with surprise when he saw the shopkeeper standing right behind him, her eyes narrowed with fury. But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Daisy with a pure, undisguised hatred. He noticed that Daisy was staring back as well, something sinister entering her gaze. With a sudden shiver of dread, Luigi took a step back from between the two women as the tension in the air suddenly thickened. He glanced at the flower princess, confused and frightened.

"Daisy? What's going on?"

"Ha!" barked the shopkeeper, her pale eyes gleaming with black humour. "That ain't Daisy you got there, just a poor gutless imitation of the princess! And what d'you think you're playin' at, sneaking inta my shop?" she snarled questioningly. Daisy drew herself up to her full height, an expression of utter contempt and distaste on her face, one that was completely alien to Luigi. He backed away further, beginning to tremble as the fake Daisy began to speak.

"Hmph, if it wasn't for this snivelling cowardly wretch, I would never even _dream_ of associating with a creature like you, dear Nancy, nor would I _ever_ be seen within forty feet of your tacky little shed that's trying to pass for shop. Honestly, what was our King thinking, letting a dog like you run our tourist centre. No wonder we get no visitors these days," she sniffed snobbishly, her eyes gleaming with a similar hatred. Nancy snarled furiously, a noise that made the hairs on Luigi neck stand on end, a noise that he had heard only once before…

"Werewolf…" he choked out, sliding to the floor and trembling. Both ladies looked at him, and as he met their gaze, he let out a small cry. Nancy's eyes were a pale yellow, the whites completely swallowed up, while Daisy's had gone an eerie brilliant amber shade, flecked with clear bits of bright purple. The pupils were slit as well, like a cat's. They glittered with sadistic humour as she prowled closer, leaning in so her face was nearly touching his. She blinked slowly, seductively, as she nestled her head into his neck, purring like a kitten.

"I thought you missed me Luigi," she breathed, trailing her gloved fingers up his neck, the sharp nails trailing goose bumps. The plumber shuddered, feeling utterly, horribly _wrong_. This wasn't his Daisy, this was some monstrous seductress wearing her face as a mask. Those ghastly eyes glittered as she leaned in close, her lips parting as she tried to steal a kiss…

A sudden eerie howl echoed through the shop and Daisy rolled off Luigi, shrieking curses as something slender and canine leapt on top of the princess. The plumber scrambled to his feet, nearly hyperventilating in shock as Daisy screeched in fury, clawing at the snarling canine. It wasn't a wolf, Luigi realised, but something much smaller, with large creamy-white ears and long, slender legs. Dark brown fur bristled along its spine and its black tipped tail waved in fury as it snarled, revealing fearsome teeth. A coyote. Luigi backed away from the fight, trembling as he realized Daisy was changing. Lengthening canines distorted her face as it jutted out grotesquely into a narrow, whiskered muzzle, snapping furiously at the leaping coyote. Her hands came up, the gloves tearing and seemingly disappearing as they curled into clawed paws. But the most dramatic changes were happening to her dress, or rather, what was underneath it. Jet-black fur erupted, shredding the elegant yellow gown as what had been Daisy growled, lashing out at the coyote. Multiple, long bushy tails whipped behind her, jet-black tipped with pure violet, writhing in the air like furry snakes. Luigi shrank into his corner as the creature reared up, a monstrous black fox with multiple tails lashing at the air, its huge jaws opening as it let out a scream of pure rage. It leapt at the coyote, its huge size allowing it to easily bowl over the canine, and the two raged around the shop, biting, clawing and howling. The plumber glanced at the door, the way clear for now, and, without a second thought, made a dash for it. A huge tail lashed out, knocking him over as the kitsune glared at him from where she had the werecoyote pinned down.

"Stay there," she growled, her monstrous muzzle wrinkling as she spoke, the sound like knives grating against each other. She dealt one last blow to the coyote, blood flying out in an arc as the coyote shrieked in pain. Her head slumped to the floor, all fight gone from the therianthrope. The kitsune turned fully to face Luigi, her demonic teeth bared in a grin, crimson blood dripping from between the ivory fangs. "Well, you're the famous Luigi, aren't you? I'd be flattered. Everyone's taken quite an interest in you lately," she growled, her teeth grating against each other. She stalked closer, her huge paws thudding against the ground, claws scratching the surface. She leaned in close, her muzzle wrinkled in distaste. Luigi gagged at the stench of blood wafting from her jaws as the kitsune laughed, a high-pitched yipping bark. "Yes, King Diddlesmith sent me to fetch you. You are quite troublesome, little human, rejecting the hospitality of our fair King," she finished with a low growl.

The plumber trembled before the great fox, before asking, in a shaking voice that was barely a whisper, "Where's Daisy?" The kitsune's eyes widened, before she laughed again, a horrible yelping howl that stabbed at Luigi's eardrums.

"Oh, oh, that's all you're concerned about? "She laughed, her eyes tearing with mirth. The plumber listened fearfully, concern for his friends outweighing his fear of the fox. The kitsune had stopped laughing, staring at him thoughtfully with narrowed yellow eyes. "Hmph, well, just to make you feel better, I just used her form as a lure to get you back. The real one is running around Twilight Town, last time I heard, attacking the friends that are trying to save her from herself," the kitsune grinned knowingly.

Luigi blinked, confused. "Attacking?"

"Why yes. I've heard it's terrible, the disease affects your mind _and _your body, and mortalities among the ones who associate with them are, sadly, very high." The fox's tails waved, the only sign she gave of enjoying Luigi's confusion and rising fear.

"What happened to Daisy?" he whispered, his voice surprisingly steady.

The fox blinked, the fierce grin returning. "Let's just say she's sick. Very sick. In fact Luigi, Daisy had been infected with lycanthropy. To put it bluntly my dear, she has become a werewolf."


End file.
